News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Detour and street closure signs are seen in Alpena on Sunday as construction work on the Bagley Street bridge is slated to start Feb. 8. Motorists will need to use a lengthy detour to access areas near M-32.

ALPENA — For almost a year, motorists in Alpena will have to take a lengthy detour to get from the U.S.-23 North corridor to the M-32 West area.

Beginning Feb. 8, the Alpena County Road Commission will begin its reconstruction of the Bagley Street bridge, and most of the busy street will be closed to motorists

Drivers will need to reroute on Ripley Boulevard, 11th Avenue, Chisholm Street, and Long Rapids Road to access the M-32 corridor, the Road Commission says.

Coming from the north, motorists can take Chisholm to 11th and then Washington Avenue along the river to access the business corridor on M-32.

Drives coming from the east or south will see little change, unless they are headed toward the U.S.-23 North side of town.

In a press release on Sunday, the Road Commission said Bagley Street will be closed from the Road Commission driveway just north of the new Northland Area Federal Credit Union headquarters to Word of Life Baptist Church.

Burkholder Drive will remain open and maintained.

Road Commission Managing Director Ryan Brege said residents and businesses are encouraged to plan accordingly.

“We would like to thank you in advance for your patience as we continue our efforts to improve the county road system,” the press release said.

The bridge was built in 1976, and, on average, 15,000 vehicles a day drive over it. Brege said that, over the years, traffic patterns in the area have changed.

Decades ago, there was little development near Bagley Street and much less traffic than now.

Over the years, the bridge has undergone normal maintenance, but it is now obsolete, Brege said, and the structure is in need of a complete overhaul to accommodate the increases in vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

“It was built for the needs of that time, and, with Bagley Street being so important now, it needs serious maintenance,” Brege told The News earlier this month. “We are essentially doubling the width of the bridge, and it will be more user-friendly for motorists and pedestrians.”

Brege said a pair of pedestrian walkways will help non-motorists cross the bridge safely, and crews will install lights, too.

The project is expected to cost $10.3 million.

Funding for the project came from the Michigan Department of Transportation, the federal government, and a Road Commission match.

Weather permitting, the project could be done sometime in December, Brege said.