DEARBORN – U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) announced the inclusion of $20 million in funding for replacing the Miller Road and Rotunda Drive bridges.

The funding is the largest request granted to Michigan and was included in the House 2021 Surface Transportation Authorization bill and would be sourced from the Highway Trust Fund.

With the passage of this bill in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the federal funding will now be considered by the full U.S. House of Representatives later in June.

“The Miller-Rotunda Bridge supports Dearborn’s local businesses and is a major economic driver for Michigan’s 12th District, but it has far outlived its safe, useful life,” Dingell said. “Replacing these bridges has long been a priority for governments at all levels in Michigan and local businesses have voiced strong support as well. This project was included in Governor Whitmer’s new ‘Bridge Bundling’ program outlined in her 2021-2022 budget, but funds have yet to be approved. This federal funding is critical to restore and repair a pair of bridges that our workers and community rely on every single day. Given the important need and strong community support, this was my top priority request for the 2021 Surface Transportation Authorization bill. We will continue to push for the passage of this legislation and invest in much-needed infrastructure repairs so that we can rebuild our economy and support working families.”

The bridge was built in 1931 and experiences heavy truck traffic regularly. The requested funding will go towards building two new bridge spans on Miller Road, along with raising the bridge height over the railroad tracks and reducing bridge replacement costs by shortening the overall bridge length by filling in portions of the structure where no crossings are needed.