Bridges in Bay County now reopen - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(01/31/13) - Eight bridges closed in Bay County Wednesday due to rising waters have reopened after the water receded.

The bridges were spread across five townships across the county.

All of our rain and melting snow forced the road commission to shut down many rural bridges on Wednesday.

"I've already traveled 71 miles, I don't need to go another four or five miles out of the way to get here, this is crazy, really crazy," said Steve Bartys, who was forced to detour.

Bartys was trying to get home after a long day of fishing, but ran into a road block on a bridge on Seven Mile Road.

"I've been down here for 30 years, I've had the water right up against the bridge and it's never been an inconvenience and now it's an inconvenience? Come on, give me a break," he said.

But the federal government says it must be done. A new federal mandate requires the road commission to close bridges when the water level gets too high. They say it could cause erosion, which could spell trouble.

"A lot of people are avoiding the area, some of them are turning around and some of them are completely disregarding the signs over there," said Laura Lopez, who lives near a closed bridge on Beaver Road. "We see a lot of people flying through there."

She says it's made things a bit challenging for her family.

"I think it's kind of frustrating because I have to now reroute about a mile or two out of my way to get out to Bay City," she said.

The bridges included:

Fraser Township, Bay County