On a dusty, semi-rural road in a fast-growing corner of Washtenaw County, an old timber bridge has become a focal point of controversy between local residents and the county road commission. Lined with 100-year-old Osage orange, maple and oak trees, the historic timbers and scenic views of the Judd Road Bridge are slated for destruction.

Jack Valentine, a quiet and hardworking retiree who spends his afternoons restoring antique cars in his garage, now finds himself fighting a daily battle against his local road commission, as he and his neighbors struggle to preserve this important piece of their community's character and history.

"We love the bridge," Valentine says. "It's a travesty. All these trees are going. The road commission is banking on safety as their excuse to do anything they wish on our road. I think the way they do it now is not very democratic."

The controversy has become an all-too familiar scenario in Michigan. The planned replacement for the scenic one-lane bridge on the once-remote country road is a 23'-clearance, concrete span with a likely design speed of 55 mph-something local residents claim is out of character with their hopes and dreams for the community and which requires longer sight distances and longer bridge approaches. "My neighbor will have a 12' high wall in his front yard because they'll have to raise the whole road."

Valentine admits the bridge needs some rehabilitation. But he and neighbors maintain there are workable options besides complete replacement of the bridge. In 2000, the road commission obtained funding under a federal critical bridges program, which has design requirements that will make the old bridge obsolete.

Residents keep hoping for a more palatable and sensitive option, arguing that a modern bridge with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour would destroy the rural character of the area and endanger the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. In May 2004, about 130 people turned out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the reconstruction of the bridge with a pig roast and commemorative T-shirts.

Dennis Hallock, 55, who has lived next to the bridge for 27 years, recently told the Ann Arbor News that he and his neighbors enjoy the summer canopy created by the nearby hardwood trees. "It's gorgeous, just a beautiful drive. A lot of people walk," he said.
The publicity and local outcry haven't swayed the commission. Residents were told at a recent meeting that safety trumps other considerations, including community concerns and natural beauty. Roy Townsend, director of engineering at the road agency, told the Ann Arbor News and residents that a petition to designate the road a natural beauty road would have minimal impact on the project. "We can go ahead if it's considered safety improvement."

"It's a waste of taxpayer money," Valentine argues. The solution, he says is much easier and much cheaper: "We could save the taxpayers' money. Just repair it instead of replacing it."

Similar problems are currently being addressed at the state as well as the county level. The Michigan Department of Transportation is drafting a policy known as Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) that would help ensure road and transportation planning is done with more public participation and involvement, that it considers community needs and that it provides more consideration of historic and environmental features.

The CSS proposal, a priority of the Michigan Environmental Council and directed by Governor Granholm's Executive Order (2003-25), will be presented to the State Transportation Commission in early 2005.

Once approved at the state level, the next hurdle will be helping local road agencies follow the state's lead, in hopes of avoiding more Judd Road Bridge controversies in the future.