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MDOT documents one-year progress of Midland area flood response - video
Craig Routzahn
Fri, 21 May 2021 05:46:44 EDT
One year ago, a historic 500-year flood rocked several mid-Michigan communities, closing nearly 30 roads and bridges, and forcing thousands of homes and businesses to quickly evacuate. The Michigan Department of Transportation worked through the night alongside first responders to ensure roads were barricaded as they prepared to survey damage the following morning. MDOT's newest video news release details the efforts and progress made over the last year, and the resilience of the communities most heavily impacted. MDOT documented what happened in the past year in a video you will find on thumb net dot net.
On May 20, 2020, already in the midst of dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, MDOT staff and consultants gathered to quickly formulate a survey plan. They spent the remainder of the day visiting impacted roads and bridges, determining what locations would be safely reopened once flood waters receded and which closures would remain in place.
The following morning, staff began tackling the emergency bid letting process, drawing up a contract to address the repairs needed at one heavily damaged priority route, US-10 at Sanford Lake. Within days, an emergency contract was awarded and a contractor had mobilized efforts, working through the Memorial Day weekend to reopen half of the roadway quickly. This project was the first of several emergency and expedited contracts that would be awarded through the summer, each bringing MDOT closer to its goal to reestablish mobility across the region.
