Sanford secures remaining funding for Saginaw Road Bridge project

Sanford says the Saginaw Road Bridge replacement is now fully funded, marking a major milestone in the village's long-running recovery from the 2020 flood.

Village officials said the Michigan Economic Development Corporation selected the bridge project for funding, closing the remaining gap in the financing package. The latest round brings the total secured for the project to $2.645 million in the package referenced in the village's June 8 council discussion, according to reporting by Our Midland.

The bridge project has been the last unfinished village restoration item tied to the flood. It also serves as a key east-west connector for Sanford and the surrounding area, making the reconstruction both a practical and symbolic step in the recovery process.

Funding timeline

The financing effort has taken several rounds over the past few months. In January, Sanford reported it had secured more than $10 million, including $9.457 million from the Neighborhood Road Fund and $1 million from the Local Bridge Advisory Board.

By March, the village said a $955,000 federal appropriation had lifted the project to $11.3 million of the then-estimated $12.4 million total cost. That earlier estimate was later revised.

In April, the village updated the bridge estimate to about $14 million and said it planned to seek $2.6 million in MEDC Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding to cover the remaining gap.

In May, reporting said Sanford received a $955,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant for the design engineering phase of the bridge reconstruction. That funding was aimed at advancing the technical work even as the village continued piecing together the full package.

What still has to happen

Village President Dolores Porte said the MEDC has selected the project for funding, but the village still must sign a Letter of Interest before the final grant paperwork is complete. She also said village officials plan to meet with the Michigan Department of Transportation before deciding the next implementation steps.

That means the bridge is funded, but the administrative and coordination work is not finished yet. Final award paperwork, agency approvals and the project sequence still need to be settled before construction can advance.

The funding milestone is important because the bridge has been one of the most visible remaining gaps in Sanford's post-flood restoration. The project connects the village's recovery work to a piece of infrastructure that residents use as an east-west route through the area.

Related riverbank work

The council also said Sanford secured $2 million in MEDC funding for erosion control work along the Tittabawassee River near Village Park. Officials described that project as part of the remaining riverbank stabilization work on the east side of the river, south from the dam toward the bridge.

That erosion-control money is separate from the bridge package, but it is tied to the same broader flood-recovery effort. Village officials said it is intended to protect the park site and finish stabilization work along the riverbank.

For Sanford, the bridge funding closes out the most significant unresolved recovery item from the 2020 disaster. The next phase now depends on paperwork, agency coordination and the village's final decisions with transportation officials.