David Massaron recalls a time not too long ago when the Second Avenue Bridge over I-94 was falling apart and full of potholes. Now, the structure is the first network tied arch bridge built in Michigan, and it’s providing a vital connection between Wayne State University and its surrounding neighborhoods.

Massaron was on hand with government officials including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen Bhatt to celebrate the completion of the new Second Avenue Bridge.

“When you think about infrastructure projects like this, from Wayne State’s perspective, community is important, and the bridge that was here before was unsafe,” said Massaron, Wayne State’s chief business officer, chief financial officer and senior vice president for finance and business operations. “As the governor’s plan to fix the roads in Michigan takes root, what could have happened is just the same bridge replacing it. But instead, through a ton of community engagement and alike, we ended up with a facility that was constructed around people. And I can’t tell you how important that is, because we have a vibrant way to knit together our institution with the community to the north, in which where there’s incredible development just on the horizon.”

The new bridge features bike lanes and sidewalks for pedestrians to walk across I-94, connecting Wayne State’s community to the neighborhoods north of I-94 and the northern parts of Wayne State’s campus.

“Not only is it a great place for cars to go, but there’s room for our students and faculty to bike to the northern end of campus and the ability to walk on this bridge,” Massaron said. “For those of you haven’t walked across it, it’s incredibly comfortable. And that's why we're so thankful for the leadership of everybody involved.”

The original Second Avenue bridge was demolished in January 2020. The skeleton of the new structure was built on the Wayne State campus adjacent to I-94. This allowed for the unique design to undergo numerous structural tests without disrupting traffic on one of the state’s busiest freeways. Crews moved the skeleton of the bridge over the freeway in July 2022.

After successfully moving the bridge into place, additional testing on the structure continued before opening to traffic in December last year. Additional work including lighting installation and landscaping wrapped up earlier this month.

“This bridge truly is an engineering marvel and it's a testament to the incredible expertise and professionalism of all those who helped build it,” Whitmer said. “The cool thing is that this bridge was not built here on this site. It was assembled off site at Wayne State's Palmer parking lot, and this allowed the workers to finish the bridge foundation and abutment walls at the same time. It sped up our ability to finish the project and helps keep people safe and minimize traffic impacts on I-94, which was only closed for 12 days.”