The 9 Mile Road overpass above I-75 in Hazel Park reopened this afternoon, the Michigan Department of Transportation said.

It took crews about seven weeks to rebuild the bridge destroyed in July in a fiery tanker crash. The work was part of a $12 million project that will include rebuilding a mile-long stretch of I-75 in that area of Oakland County in 2010.

MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi credited good weather, round the clock work and federal support for getting the bridge replaced swiftly.

“We went and look at every scenario to get this done as quickly as possible,” Morosi said. “We’re pretty darn proud of the work that was done.”

The state got federal approval to expedite the project and keep workers on site 24 hours a day. The bridge reopened just after 3 p.m. today.

MDOT plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday on the northbound I-75 service drive at 9 Mile to celebrate the reopening.

Contact MATT HELMS: mhelms@freepress.com.
http://freep.com/article/20091211/NE...opens-at-I-75-