Last week, I wrote about how long the Denton Road bridge has been closed, comparable to how long it took to build the entire Mackinac Bridge from start to finish! A reader who is new to the Belleville area asked if I could explain why it has been closed for so long. Here’s what I found out.
The Denton Road bridge was built in 1927, so it’s nearly 100 years old! It’s named after the unincorporated village of Denton which was settled in the 1860s and 1870s and later absorbed by Van Buren Township.
The bridge over Belleville Lake was closed in October 2022 due to severe structural deterioration. Wayne County closed the bridge immediately in October 2022 after an underwater inspection revealed that the underground wooden pilings had eroded and the east abutment was no longer resting securely on its supports.
As the township and county began looking at a budget for repair, they eventually realized a full removal and total reconstruction were in order, with the cost estimated between $4 million and $6.5 million was required.
Van Buren Township and Wayne County had to partner on intergovernmental agreements, secure state funding, and perform detailed design engineering. Project planning also hit a mandatory pause to safely relocate a colony of the American Water-Willow, an endangered plant species found near the construction zone, which required state-monitored relocation plans.
Contractor E.C. Korneffel began major on-site demolition and heavy marine construction (using floating barges and cranes) to build a higher, more durable reinforced-concrete replacement featuring aesthetic stone cladding and upgraded non-motorized paths.
Weather constraints, seasonal asphalt plant closures, and final retaining wall details pushed completion into late 2026.
The bridge is now completed, but while construction was going on, the City of Belleville decided to do additional work at the intersection of Main and Denton as well as repairing concrete at the intersection with Liberty Street. That means the bridge will not open until the concrete is cured and all the finishing touches are in place.
In any case, the City of Belleville planned a special ceremony for the opening of the bridge Oct. 22, so let’s hope it’s open by then!