After an inspection Tuesday found bridge footings undermined, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has closed the Kamichik Bridge over the Sturgeon River in Dickinson County.

The bridge is located on Cassidy Creek Road, about 5 miles north of Waucedah.

While the bridge is closed, traffic will be rerouted north on Foster City Road 6.5 miles to the Browns Lake Road to the Norway Truck Trail and back to Cassidy Creek Road. Another available route would be south of the closure along Dickinson County Road 573 (Pine Creek Road) to the Norway Truck Trail and then Cassidy Creek Road.

Inspectors from the Michigan Department of Transportation who checked out the condition of the bridge Tuesday discovered the east abutment footing undermined over nearly its entire width.

The average extent of abutment undermining is 17 to 24 inches from the vertical face, with that distance measuring as much as 40 inches in one location.

The inspectors determined the bridge should be closed immediately to traffic.

Under a memorandum of understanding between the agencies, MDOT inspects all DNR bridges that span 20 feet or more and carry vehicular traffic.

Meanwhile, DNR staffers are exploring costs and methods to repair the aging span that dates back at least several decades.

For the latest information on closures of DNR facilities, visit Michigan.gov/DNRClosures.