November 10, 2025 • 13 mins
A bottleneck that lasted decades is finally gone, and you can feel the difference the first time you cross it. We bring together MDOT’s John Richard and Walker City Engineer Scott Connors to unpack how the new Fruit Ridge Bridge and interchange deliver safer travel, smoother access to jobs, and real options for people walking and biking. From two skinny lanes to a five-lane span with a 14-foot path and smarter ramp alignments, this is the rare project that makes commutes calmer, business access easier, and neighborhood connections stronger.
We dig into the choices that matter: why modernizing a 1960s-era “hourglass” bridge removes a dangerous pinch point, how aligned ramps and mast-arm signals cut crash risk, and what a center turn lane means for freight-heavy businesses north of the railroad. You’ll also hear how funding unlocked more than a basic rehab; a $25 million state investment and a TAP grant made it possible to rebuild the bridge, reconfigure the interchange, and extend improvements along the corridor. It’s not just infrastructure—it’s a strategy for safety, efficiency, and growth in West Michigan.
Behind the scenes, coordination turned disruption into progress. Transparent updates through social media, email lists, and door-to-door business outreach kept detours manageable and expectations clear. The community showed patience, the contractors delivered ahead of schedule, and local schools even helped celebrate the ribbon cutting. And for anyone who rides or walks, that wide path means your route now continues across the bridge without a white-knuckle squeeze—linking neighborhoods to employers and connecting into trail systems that reach the lakeshore and beyond.
If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a neighbor who uses the corridor, and leave a quick review so others can find it. Your feedback helps us keep telling the stories that move Walker forward.
If you have comments about this podcast, or ideas for future episodes, please email us at PODCAST@WALKER.CITY
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_05 (00:02):
Welcome to Maiden Walker, the podcast that
connects you to the people, thestories, and the ideas shaping
our community.
From local innovators toeveryday change makers, we're
diving deep into what makesWalker a great place to live,
work, and grow.
SPEAKER_06 (00:18):
So today as we cut this ribbon, let's remember that
we're really what we're reallycelebrating is opportunity.
Opportunity for commerce,opportunity for safety, and
opportunity for the continuedvitality of our great community.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
With that, the Fruit Bridge Bridge is now open, but
not without years of advocacy,planning, and of course, a lot
of patience.
But now that it's open, we'rekind of looking at how it is
reshaping access, jobs, andgrowth in West Michigan.
I'm here with John Richard fromMichigan Department of
Transportation and ScottConnors, our City of Walker
engineer.
Thank you both so much for beinghere.
(01:08):
Big players in this bridgeproject and appreciate you guys
giving us your insights.
SPEAKER_03 (01:13):
Well, thanks for having us.
Good morning.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Absolutely.
So for people who haven't uhdriven on it yet, uh, what are
the big changes people willnotice with this new interchange
project?
SPEAKER_03 (01:23):
Well, it went from two lanes to uh five.
So there's two lanes in eachdirection plus that center left
turn lane and a big 14-foot-widepedestrian path on the west
side, and then a regular type umwidth of a sidewalk on the east
side.
So just the pedestrianconnections alone um on this
make this a huge project.
Um and Scott, you know, I'm sureyou have got, you know, uh a
(01:44):
different perspective,especially from the business
end.
SPEAKER_07 (01:47):
Well, I I I think the pedestrian one is is one
that's not really talked aboutenough.
Uh I came in a little bit latethis morning to kind of take a
slow roll through there andwatch traffic, and uh was
surprised to see that a uh abiker was actually going
northbound to some of theindustrial businesses to the
north uh in pitch black.
Um, but obviously a commuter,and you know, that was a pretty
(02:07):
nice feeling to see that on thevery first day we had uh actual
non-motorized use, which was uhreally what that trail's for.
It's not just recreation, it'stransportation, and it was in
operation in day one.
SPEAKER_03 (02:18):
And that's always been a pinch point.
I ride my bike all the time.
In fact, I rode it here todaybecause I can't stand parking
downtown.
So I uh took it on the equationwith the bicycle.
But um bridges are always anissue, uh, especially the old
ones, because you can see on thesatellite photo, it's got that
hourglass shape, right?
So to the north there's all thatdevelopment, the the road was
widened, but these bridges are acritical pinch point, um, and
(02:40):
they're so expensive to replace.
Uh so every time there's asidewalk or a wide shoulder, if
you come to an old bridge, thatgoes away.
You know, you get a narrowshoulder, if a shoulder at all,
from these bridges that werebuilt in the 60s.
So modernizing these bridges andinterchanges is just huge for
everybody pedestrians,businesses, vehicles, buses.
(03:01):
So uh yeah, we're we're gladthat this is finally opened.
Because even just two, threeyears ago, Fruit Ridge has been
a discussion.
What are we gonna do about thisbridge?
Because we were it was justgonna be a rehab project, you
know, substructure fixes, deckreplacement, um, you know,
superstructure replacement.
So to get this$25 million youknow grant from the
(03:24):
legislatures, and of course thethe tap grant that we got for
the um pedestrian path, youknow, basically paid for the
project and stuff like that.
When we have the money, we canreally modernize things to help
everybody.
SPEAKER_01 (03:35):
Yes, and we actually spoke with Representative
Glanville and Senator HeigenHeisenga about the benefits of
this new bridge.
SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
It's just it's really truly a shiny example of
what can be done when um youknow all the branches of
government come together, uhpublic, private, bipartisan, all
the pieces come into place.
And I mean especially about thebike generality.
SPEAKER_02 (03:59):
You know, when you put 10 years into a project and
the kind of information, it'sreally um such an exciting day
for locker of course, but thisis a regional impact.
And knowing that the eight hoursare going to be something that
really makes such a bigdifference, I guess.
It's really powerful.
SPEAKER_06 (04:17):
This is multiple mayors, um, state legislators.
You know, we've advocated thefederal level.
Um this is just it's been ajourney.
So when I use the term surreal,it's like we're we're we ever
gonna get here.
And we were so close to thefinish line of multiple times,
and uh just to just to be hereand up here.
Um, and not only that, but to beon time, on budget, you know,
(04:38):
it's the walkerway.
I mean, we we did things righthere.
SPEAKER_01 (04:41):
We were talking about the bridge design.
What has really changed?
The last bridge uh had been upfor about 60 plus years.
What's really changed with ummaybe some of the layouts, the
design, the infrastructure overthe decades?
SPEAKER_07 (04:53):
Well, I can jump in on that.
Uh to the north and to thesouth, we've had tremendous
development and we've hadmultiple road projects.
And as John mentioned, thehourglass figure uh design from
above, you know, you look downand see the narrow bridge.
Uh we had a five-lane road tothe north, which allowed for
center turn lane for some of thebusinesses where you might have
truck stacking and things.
And we actually were able towiden and add a center turn lane
(05:16):
further north as well.
So this project almost took theshape of three different
projects in one with the bridgeand interchange.
You've got the non-motorizedimprovements that wrapped all
the way around to Kinney.
And then to the north, we addedthat center turn lane, which is
going to make it much safer forthose businesses that are north
of the railroad there.
SPEAKER_01 (05:32):
And they're a critical part of this too,
because um the the disruption tonot only regular people who are
going to and from commuting, butalso the businesses.
A lot of communication was metto make sure that they
understood what the project was,what all went into making sure
that they were on board and theyknew what was coming, and to
just uh, you know, be patientwith the project.
SPEAKER_03 (05:52):
Knocking on doors, talking to everybody, talking to
the schools.
Um, we always have a specialproject email list that you can
sign up for.
You can follow us on Twitter.
And there's so many differentways you can find out project
information.
But one like this, you have tohave direct contact with the
city and the businesses to letthem know exactly what's going
on.
And the our you know, kudos toour contractors for keeping us
(06:12):
in the loop on every littlechange that took place as far as
ramp closures, lane closures,total closures, because they
just did a total closure ofWestbound 96 over the weekend to
finish up and paint.
So to get it open ahead ofschedule.
Um yesterday, you know, I thinkit was about four o'clock it
opened up.
So yeah, it's a it's a goodfeeling to look on my drive and
see all those barrels uh off theuh off the screen.
(06:33):
So it's nice, yeah.
SPEAKER_07 (06:35):
And I think from a communication standpoint, too,
uh you did a fantastic job ingetting the word out through
social media.
Um Walker did not have an activerole in the design.
We were kind of like a silentpartner, but we stepped in a lot
with the coordination with thepublic and our business owners.
And so really we we were able tohit them from multiple vantage
points with a lot of goodinformation to help them so at
least they knew what was comingnext and how bad it was going to
(06:56):
be.
unknown (06:57):
Sure.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Yeah, they were great with us, you know,
especially on social media.
This was one of the projectswhere folks knew what the what
they were in for, but there wasminimal complaining or pushback.
Everybody understood what thiswas about.
So, how does that feel to have alarge project like this where
you know community is patient,they're on board, and a lot of
support behind all of youworkers and such.
SPEAKER_03 (07:17):
Well, I think people are a lot more patient when it
comes to projects like thisbecause you know, a land closure
is a land closure, right?
So if something's if a land'sclosed because of a pothole or
if it's closed because of aninterchange modernization, you
know, people are gonna be alittle more patient with the uh
the big project.
So um it is, yeah.
Projects like this where there'snot many complaints and people
really appreciate it, it yeah,it makes you feel good.
SPEAKER_07 (07:39):
And I think the impact on the on the public was
uh sometimes we overstate that.
I don't think we overstated itin this case.
It was like a five-mile detourto get around for folks like uh
parents and teachers at KennewahHills.
And so there was a tremendousamount of extra traffic on Three
Mile Road, on Walker Avenue, onFour Mile Road, and then some of
the uh more rural roads throughOttawa County because there was
(08:02):
a bridge closure over there.
So this really impacted a lot ofpeople.
And I was getting phone callsand texts from people from my
past, old friends and and uh uhfolks that just were absolutely
so excited and wanted to knowwith with absolute positivity
when it was going to be open sothat they could make the first
trip uh possible over that trip,over that bridge.
(08:24):
Nice.
SPEAKER_01 (08:25):
You you bring up uh the schools, uh you're in
Alamada or Ken Kenwa Hills.
So when we did this uh ribboncutting, you were insistent,
let's have the band be part ofthis celebration.
Why was that so important?
SPEAKER_03 (08:40):
Well, they're just down the road.
Um, so of course you all know Iwent there.
Class of 89, thank you.
So I called the high school upand I said, Hey, do you guys
want to help us, you know, cutthis ribbon?
And they said, Heck yeah, we'llbe there.
So two busloads show up, and allthe kids were excited to be, you
know, out of school on a Friday.
(09:04):
Um Nate Rowron, who I went toschool with, is now the
principal there.
He was two years ahead of me uhin my uh sister's uh class of
1987.
So it was like a little reunion,and I dug out the varsity
jacket, and so it was good.
And now, of course, we had uhthe mayor, uh the senator, and
um representative Glanville.
So it was a great turnout.
SPEAKER_07 (09:24):
Yeah.
And Kenwood's been such a greatpartner to us.
Jerry Hopkins, the uhsuperintendent over there, is
always engaged, shows up for alot of our meetings to talk
about projects and be aware.
He's just a great part of thecommunity.
SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
Yeah, you really can't understate the
communication, uh, the great jobthat you all did reaching out to
the community.
And um the celebration, it's notevery day you have a ribbon
cutting of a majorinfrastructure project like
this.
So there was a lot of to doabout this.
What can you tell folks justabout why it's important to
celebrate these types ofprojects?
It wasn't just kind of, hey,look at me type thing.
(09:56):
This is this was important.
SPEAKER_03 (09:58):
Well, there's so many players involved.
You know, the contractors, thesubcontractors, the state, the
city, our consultants.
Um, there's so there's so manyplayers involved that uh to see
it come to fruition like this.
And you know, again, we've got ashort window of construction in
Michigan, right?
So to get it done on time, onschedule, in about what, seven
or eight months, you know, kudosto uh to everyone involved.
SPEAKER_07 (10:21):
And it really was a dream team that was put together
to make this happen.
It happened in about half thetime it would normally take in
terms of the design andconstruction.
But you know, mdot stepped upand put their best staff people
on it.
Um there were a lot of peopleengaged in this, in the in the
rapid design and the prep forthe the bidding and
construction.
Um we ended up with probably thebest contractor in the area for
(10:42):
a project like this with Kamagaand RootVoots.
Um they've done some wonderfuluh project projects with us that
we thought were uh nearlyimpossible, and then they pull
it off and uh without a hitch.
So they did a great job again,right down to the very last
minute.
Um every member of their teamwas out there working to get it
clean and get it ready, uh, andthey came through.
SPEAKER_03 (11:03):
And we took a visit a couple weeks ago, um, and uh
the asphalt was still hot.
I'm like, you guys gonna beready in a couple of weeks?
And they say, Oh yeah, we'll beready.
So, but yeah, there was barrelseverywhere and trucks and uh a
lot of cleanup to do, and theyhad a they had a lot to do over
the weekend to get it open byyesterday.
SPEAKER_01 (11:20):
Wow, yeah.
A lot of a lot of work goes onbehind the scenes that we don't
see.
We just gotta be patient.
Um, any uh, you know, briefly,are there any things that people
may not see that were uh part ofthe bridge infrastructure, like
better drainage, things thatreally improve the area for the
next sets you up for the nextseveral decades?
SPEAKER_07 (11:35):
Um I might say that the interchange reconfiguration
for the on and off ramps was wasa really big component of this.
Yeah.
Because the when you were goingeastbound from let's like
Muskegon, Coopersville, um, youwould have to get off to three
mile road before.
And that was offset from FruitRidge just enough so that it was
uh impacted by left-turningvehicles and stacking vehicles.
(11:56):
And so oftentimes people wouldhave to sit and wait there to be
able to turn out.
And that turns into caraccidents when somebody says,
Come on, go across, and uhsomebody else says, No, I'm
going through.
Um, so that has been totallyeliminated now, and we've got
more of the conventional design,easier to understand.
It's got uh nice, beautiful mastarm traffic signals, and so and
(12:16):
that happened on the north sideas well, where the the ramps
were aligned and it created alittle bit of a tighter
interchange, but certainly moreefficient.
SPEAKER_01 (12:24):
Yes, that is great, safer, easier to access, just
what we needed for thecommunity, hopefully setting us
up for the next several decades.
Thank you both so much for yourinsights.
Really appreciate it, andcongratulations on uh a pretty
big project completed andwrapped up.
SPEAKER_03 (12:37):
I'm excited to use those trails.
Yeah, 40 miles to the west ofthe lake shore, and then all the
way up to Cadillac.
So, yeah, it's a greatconnection.
SPEAKER_07 (12:43):
And another great successful partnership with
right on, for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (12:46):
Love it.
Thank you both so much.
Really appreciate you beinghere.
Thank you for tuning in.
SPEAKER_05 (12:52):
Thank you for joining us for this episode of
the Maiden Walker Podcast.
If you have comments orquestions about this podcast, or
if you have suggestions forfuture episodes, we'd love to
hear from you.
Please drop us an email atpodcast at walker.city.
Maiden Walker is the officialpodcast of the city of Walker,
Michigan.
(13:12):
You can find Maiden Walkerwherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Maiden Walker, the podcast that
connects you to the people, thestories, and the ideas shaping
our community.
From local innovators toeveryday change makers, we're
diving deep into what makesWalker a great place to live,
work, and grow.
SPEAKER_06 (00:18):
So today as we cut this ribbon, let's remember that
we're really what we're reallycelebrating is opportunity.
Opportunity for commerce,opportunity for safety, and
opportunity for the continuedvitality of our great community.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
With that, the Fruit Bridge Bridge is now open, but
not without years of advocacy,planning, and of course, a lot
of patience.
But now that it's open, we'rekind of looking at how it is
reshaping access, jobs, andgrowth in West Michigan.
I'm here with John Richard fromMichigan Department of
Transportation and ScottConnors, our City of Walker
engineer.
Thank you both so much for beinghere.
(01:08):
Big players in this bridgeproject and appreciate you guys
giving us your insights.
SPEAKER_03 (01:13):
Well, thanks for having us.
Good morning.
SPEAKER_01 (01:14):
Absolutely.
So for people who haven't uhdriven on it yet, uh, what are
the big changes people willnotice with this new interchange
project?
SPEAKER_03 (01:23):
Well, it went from two lanes to uh five.
So there's two lanes in eachdirection plus that center left
turn lane and a big 14-foot-widepedestrian path on the west
side, and then a regular type umwidth of a sidewalk on the east
side.
So just the pedestrianconnections alone um on this
make this a huge project.
Um and Scott, you know, I'm sureyou have got, you know, uh a
(01:44):
different perspective,especially from the business
end.
SPEAKER_07 (01:47):
Well, I I I think the pedestrian one is is one
that's not really talked aboutenough.
Uh I came in a little bit latethis morning to kind of take a
slow roll through there andwatch traffic, and uh was
surprised to see that a uh abiker was actually going
northbound to some of theindustrial businesses to the
north uh in pitch black.
Um, but obviously a commuter,and you know, that was a pretty
(02:07):
nice feeling to see that on thevery first day we had uh actual
non-motorized use, which was uhreally what that trail's for.
It's not just recreation, it'stransportation, and it was in
operation in day one.
SPEAKER_03 (02:18):
And that's always been a pinch point.
I ride my bike all the time.
In fact, I rode it here todaybecause I can't stand parking
downtown.
So I uh took it on the equationwith the bicycle.
But um bridges are always anissue, uh, especially the old
ones, because you can see on thesatellite photo, it's got that
hourglass shape, right?
So to the north there's all thatdevelopment, the the road was
widened, but these bridges are acritical pinch point, um, and
(02:40):
they're so expensive to replace.
Uh so every time there's asidewalk or a wide shoulder, if
you come to an old bridge, thatgoes away.
You know, you get a narrowshoulder, if a shoulder at all,
from these bridges that werebuilt in the 60s.
So modernizing these bridges andinterchanges is just huge for
everybody pedestrians,businesses, vehicles, buses.
(03:01):
So uh yeah, we're we're gladthat this is finally opened.
Because even just two, threeyears ago, Fruit Ridge has been
a discussion.
What are we gonna do about thisbridge?
Because we were it was justgonna be a rehab project, you
know, substructure fixes, deckreplacement, um, you know,
superstructure replacement.
So to get this$25 million youknow grant from the
(03:24):
legislatures, and of course thethe tap grant that we got for
the um pedestrian path, youknow, basically paid for the
project and stuff like that.
When we have the money, we canreally modernize things to help
everybody.
SPEAKER_01 (03:35):
Yes, and we actually spoke with Representative
Glanville and Senator HeigenHeisenga about the benefits of
this new bridge.
SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
It's just it's really truly a shiny example of
what can be done when um youknow all the branches of
government come together, uhpublic, private, bipartisan, all
the pieces come into place.
And I mean especially about thebike generality.
SPEAKER_02 (03:59):
You know, when you put 10 years into a project and
the kind of information, it'sreally um such an exciting day
for locker of course, but thisis a regional impact.
And knowing that the eight hoursare going to be something that
really makes such a bigdifference, I guess.
It's really powerful.
SPEAKER_06 (04:17):
This is multiple mayors, um, state legislators.
You know, we've advocated thefederal level.
Um this is just it's been ajourney.
So when I use the term surreal,it's like we're we're we ever
gonna get here.
And we were so close to thefinish line of multiple times,
and uh just to just to be hereand up here.
Um, and not only that, but to beon time, on budget, you know,
(04:38):
it's the walkerway.
I mean, we we did things righthere.
SPEAKER_01 (04:41):
We were talking about the bridge design.
What has really changed?
The last bridge uh had been upfor about 60 plus years.
What's really changed with ummaybe some of the layouts, the
design, the infrastructure overthe decades?
SPEAKER_07 (04:53):
Well, I can jump in on that.
Uh to the north and to thesouth, we've had tremendous
development and we've hadmultiple road projects.
And as John mentioned, thehourglass figure uh design from
above, you know, you look downand see the narrow bridge.
Uh we had a five-lane road tothe north, which allowed for
center turn lane for some of thebusinesses where you might have
truck stacking and things.
And we actually were able towiden and add a center turn lane
(05:16):
further north as well.
So this project almost took theshape of three different
projects in one with the bridgeand interchange.
You've got the non-motorizedimprovements that wrapped all
the way around to Kinney.
And then to the north, we addedthat center turn lane, which is
going to make it much safer forthose businesses that are north
of the railroad there.
SPEAKER_01 (05:32):
And they're a critical part of this too,
because um the the disruption tonot only regular people who are
going to and from commuting, butalso the businesses.
A lot of communication was metto make sure that they
understood what the project was,what all went into making sure
that they were on board and theyknew what was coming, and to
just uh, you know, be patientwith the project.
SPEAKER_03 (05:52):
Knocking on doors, talking to everybody, talking to
the schools.
Um, we always have a specialproject email list that you can
sign up for.
You can follow us on Twitter.
And there's so many differentways you can find out project
information.
But one like this, you have tohave direct contact with the
city and the businesses to letthem know exactly what's going
on.
And the our you know, kudos toour contractors for keeping us
(06:12):
in the loop on every littlechange that took place as far as
ramp closures, lane closures,total closures, because they
just did a total closure ofWestbound 96 over the weekend to
finish up and paint.
So to get it open ahead ofschedule.
Um yesterday, you know, I thinkit was about four o'clock it
opened up.
So yeah, it's a it's a goodfeeling to look on my drive and
see all those barrels uh off theuh off the screen.
(06:33):
So it's nice, yeah.
SPEAKER_07 (06:35):
And I think from a communication standpoint, too,
uh you did a fantastic job ingetting the word out through
social media.
Um Walker did not have an activerole in the design.
We were kind of like a silentpartner, but we stepped in a lot
with the coordination with thepublic and our business owners.
And so really we we were able tohit them from multiple vantage
points with a lot of goodinformation to help them so at
least they knew what was comingnext and how bad it was going to
(06:56):
be.
unknown (06:57):
Sure.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Yeah, they were great with us, you know,
especially on social media.
This was one of the projectswhere folks knew what the what
they were in for, but there wasminimal complaining or pushback.
Everybody understood what thiswas about.
So, how does that feel to have alarge project like this where
you know community is patient,they're on board, and a lot of
support behind all of youworkers and such.
SPEAKER_03 (07:17):
Well, I think people are a lot more patient when it
comes to projects like thisbecause you know, a land closure
is a land closure, right?
So if something's if a land'sclosed because of a pothole or
if it's closed because of aninterchange modernization, you
know, people are gonna be alittle more patient with the uh
the big project.
So um it is, yeah.
Projects like this where there'snot many complaints and people
really appreciate it, it yeah,it makes you feel good.
SPEAKER_07 (07:39):
And I think the impact on the on the public was
uh sometimes we overstate that.
I don't think we overstated itin this case.
It was like a five-mile detourto get around for folks like uh
parents and teachers at KennewahHills.
And so there was a tremendousamount of extra traffic on Three
Mile Road, on Walker Avenue, onFour Mile Road, and then some of
the uh more rural roads throughOttawa County because there was
(08:02):
a bridge closure over there.
So this really impacted a lot ofpeople.
And I was getting phone callsand texts from people from my
past, old friends and and uh uhfolks that just were absolutely
so excited and wanted to knowwith with absolute positivity
when it was going to be open sothat they could make the first
trip uh possible over that trip,over that bridge.
(08:24):
Nice.
SPEAKER_01 (08:25):
You you bring up uh the schools, uh you're in
Alamada or Ken Kenwa Hills.
So when we did this uh ribboncutting, you were insistent,
let's have the band be part ofthis celebration.
Why was that so important?
SPEAKER_03 (08:40):
Well, they're just down the road.
Um, so of course you all know Iwent there.
Class of 89, thank you.
So I called the high school upand I said, Hey, do you guys
want to help us, you know, cutthis ribbon?
And they said, Heck yeah, we'llbe there.
So two busloads show up, and allthe kids were excited to be, you
know, out of school on a Friday.
(09:04):
Um Nate Rowron, who I went toschool with, is now the
principal there.
He was two years ahead of me uhin my uh sister's uh class of
1987.
So it was like a little reunion,and I dug out the varsity
jacket, and so it was good.
And now, of course, we had uhthe mayor, uh the senator, and
um representative Glanville.
So it was a great turnout.
SPEAKER_07 (09:24):
Yeah.
And Kenwood's been such a greatpartner to us.
Jerry Hopkins, the uhsuperintendent over there, is
always engaged, shows up for alot of our meetings to talk
about projects and be aware.
He's just a great part of thecommunity.
SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
Yeah, you really can't understate the
communication, uh, the great jobthat you all did reaching out to
the community.
And um the celebration, it's notevery day you have a ribbon
cutting of a majorinfrastructure project like
this.
So there was a lot of to doabout this.
What can you tell folks justabout why it's important to
celebrate these types ofprojects?
It wasn't just kind of, hey,look at me type thing.
(09:56):
This is this was important.
SPEAKER_03 (09:58):
Well, there's so many players involved.
You know, the contractors, thesubcontractors, the state, the
city, our consultants.
Um, there's so there's so manyplayers involved that uh to see
it come to fruition like this.
And you know, again, we've got ashort window of construction in
Michigan, right?
So to get it done on time, onschedule, in about what, seven
or eight months, you know, kudosto uh to everyone involved.
SPEAKER_07 (10:21):
And it really was a dream team that was put together
to make this happen.
It happened in about half thetime it would normally take in
terms of the design andconstruction.
But you know, mdot stepped upand put their best staff people
on it.
Um there were a lot of peopleengaged in this, in the in the
rapid design and the prep forthe the bidding and
construction.
Um we ended up with probably thebest contractor in the area for
(10:42):
a project like this with Kamagaand RootVoots.
Um they've done some wonderfuluh project projects with us that
we thought were uh nearlyimpossible, and then they pull
it off and uh without a hitch.
So they did a great job again,right down to the very last
minute.
Um every member of their teamwas out there working to get it
clean and get it ready, uh, andthey came through.
SPEAKER_03 (11:03):
And we took a visit a couple weeks ago, um, and uh
the asphalt was still hot.
I'm like, you guys gonna beready in a couple of weeks?
And they say, Oh yeah, we'll beready.
So, but yeah, there was barrelseverywhere and trucks and uh a
lot of cleanup to do, and theyhad a they had a lot to do over
the weekend to get it open byyesterday.
SPEAKER_01 (11:20):
Wow, yeah.
A lot of a lot of work goes onbehind the scenes that we don't
see.
We just gotta be patient.
Um, any uh, you know, briefly,are there any things that people
may not see that were uh part ofthe bridge infrastructure, like
better drainage, things thatreally improve the area for the
next sets you up for the nextseveral decades?
SPEAKER_07 (11:35):
Um I might say that the interchange reconfiguration
for the on and off ramps was wasa really big component of this.
Yeah.
Because the when you were goingeastbound from let's like
Muskegon, Coopersville, um, youwould have to get off to three
mile road before.
And that was offset from FruitRidge just enough so that it was
uh impacted by left-turningvehicles and stacking vehicles.
(11:56):
And so oftentimes people wouldhave to sit and wait there to be
able to turn out.
And that turns into caraccidents when somebody says,
Come on, go across, and uhsomebody else says, No, I'm
going through.
Um, so that has been totallyeliminated now, and we've got
more of the conventional design,easier to understand.
It's got uh nice, beautiful mastarm traffic signals, and so and
(12:16):
that happened on the north sideas well, where the the ramps
were aligned and it created alittle bit of a tighter
interchange, but certainly moreefficient.
SPEAKER_01 (12:24):
Yes, that is great, safer, easier to access, just
what we needed for thecommunity, hopefully setting us
up for the next several decades.
Thank you both so much for yourinsights.
Really appreciate it, andcongratulations on uh a pretty
big project completed andwrapped up.
SPEAKER_03 (12:37):
I'm excited to use those trails.
Yeah, 40 miles to the west ofthe lake shore, and then all the
way up to Cadillac.
So, yeah, it's a greatconnection.
SPEAKER_07 (12:43):
And another great successful partnership with
right on, for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (12:46):
Love it.
Thank you both so much.
Really appreciate you beinghere.
Thank you for tuning in.
SPEAKER_05 (12:52):
Thank you for joining us for this episode of
the Maiden Walker Podcast.
If you have comments orquestions about this podcast, or
if you have suggestions forfuture episodes, we'd love to
hear from you.
Please drop us an email atpodcast at walker.city.
Maiden Walker is the officialpodcast of the city of Walker,
Michigan.
(13:12):
You can find Maiden Walkerwherever you get your podcasts.
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