Construction season in Grand Rapids kicked off Monday with a major project that will keep one of the city's busiest bridges shut through November.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Street bridge over US-131 has been closed at all northbound on- and off-ramps, with traffic forced to detour through Hall Street, Division Avenue, and Century Avenue. Southbound ramps remain open as crews begin rebuilding the eastern portion of the structure.

What's Happening

The nearly 100-year-old bridge is being partially reconstructed, with crews demolishing and rebuilding approximately 700 feet of the structure east of US-131. The project carries a $20 million price tag and will last through November 2026.

The bridge, originally built in the 1920s, has been so aged that it has required extra weight restrictions at various points. MDOT confirmed that bridge demolition is scheduled for the second week of April, though weather-dependent timing could shift those dates.

This is one of our major thoroughfares that we use the bridge to cross 131 multiple times a day, and as everyone else does on their way to and from work. So it will affect us, but we just try to employ our situational awareness and use other routes.

— Grand Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Stevenson

Impact on Emergency Services

The closure has significant implications for emergency responders. The Martin Luther King Junior Street Fire Station, located on the bridge itself, will now need to use alternate routes to reach neighborhoods that typically fall within its first response zone.

Battalion Chief Stevenson said firefighters will now use Wealthy Street and Hall Street to access the Grandville and Black Hills neighborhoods. While the station would normally be first on scene for those areas, the detours could delay response times.

We'll use those streets to get into the Grandville neighborhood, Black Hills neighborhood. We'll use those streets to get into the Grandville neighborhood, Black Hills neighborhood.

— Grand Rapids Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Stevenson

Detour Routes

MDOT has mapped out specific detour routes for different types of road users:

• Drivers: Division Avenue, Hall Street and Century Avenue
• Trucks east of US-131: Hynes Avenue to Wallen Avenue to Buchanan Avenue
• Trucks west of US-131: Hall Street to Century Avenue to Logan Street to Cesar Chavez Avenue
• Cyclists: Ionia Avenue, Cherry Street and Century Avenue
• Pedestrians: Hall Street, approximately a half-mile south of the bridge

Part of Larger Reconstruction Efforts

The MLK Jr. Street bridge project is one of two major overpass reconstructions happening around Grand Rapids this decade. The other major project involves the notoriously congested Wealthy Street bridge, which has recently received funding for a complete redesign that would flip the current structure to lower the interchange to street level.

The MLK Jr. Street project marks a significant investment in aging infrastructure that has long been part of downtown Grand Rapids' transportation network. The 700-foot section being replaced represents a substantial portion of the historic bridge that has served the community for nearly a century.

Sources:

• Martin Luther King Jr. St. Bridge Over US-131 Closed for 7 Months — 97.9 WGRD, April 6, 2026
• MLK Jr. Street closes at US-131 for bridge replacement — WOODTV.com, April 6, 2026
• CONSTRUCTION ALERT | MLK Jr. Street Bridge closed in Grand Rapids — wzzm13.com, April 6, 2026