MDOT places several cameras along a busy stretch of U.S. 31
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 8:48 a.m.
Read more: State, Automotive
GRAND HAVEN (AP) -- The Michigan Department of Transportation says new video cameras installed near the U.S. 31 drawbridge in Grand Haven will help ease traffic congestion along the busy stretch of road.
The agency has put three cameras atop tall utility poles at interchanges near the bridge, which crosses the Grand River near where it empties into Lake Michigan.
Traffic quickly backs up when the bridge is raised to allow tall boats to pass below.
The Muskegon Chronicle says the closest alternative route across the river is a bridge near Coopersville, about 15 miles east of Grand Haven.
The state says the cameras will help authorities quickly notice accidents more quickly, dispatch emergency personnel and reopen lanes on or near the drawbridge.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
