M-94 Chocolay River Washout Photos (2016–17)

On October 18, 2016, a system of four 12-foot culverts carrying the East Branch of the Chocolay River under M-94 near Skandia in eastern Marquette Co failed during a flooding event on October 18, washing away a 90-foot section of the highway, turning it into a 35-foot deep chasm. Thankfully, according to an MDOT Engineer, no loss of life occurred during the middle-of-the-night event as a neighbor found the washout first and flagged down traffic before arriving at the newly-formed chasm. M-94 between Co Rd 545 (South) and Town Line Rd was closed immediately and while MDOT staffers initially hoped to have a fix in place before winter, the challenges of weather and significant expenses pushed the repairs to the spring. On March 6, 2017 construction on a new 129-foot single-span concrete bridge began to replace the old four-culvert configuration, which was completed and opened to traffic more than two weeks early on June 28. The entire project cost $1.8 million and also included work to reshape and stabilze the riverbed beneath the highway.

R. Jason Clark PE MBA, a Construction Administration Engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation, Construction Field Services Division, contributed several photos he took of the washed out roadway as well as the finished replacement span. Many thanks to Jason for the great images!

Map of M-94 East Branch Chocolay River washout, 2016-17

M-94 washed out at the East Chocolay River near Skandia in eastern Marquette County.

The aftermath of a flooding event on the East Branch of the Chocolay River washing away a 90-foot section of M-94.

Looking up the embankment to what's left of M-94 at the East Branch of the Chocolay River washout.

Remains of the twelve-foot culverts formerly channeling the East Branch of the Chocolay River in Marquette County.

Interestingly, after the washout the East Branch of the Chocolay River still flowed through the one primary culvert (of the four) it had previous to the event, October 18, 2016. ©2016 R. Jason Clark, All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

The replacement span on M-94 over the East Branch of the Chocolay River at the location of the washed-out culverts in Marquette County, opened to traffic June 28, 2017. ©2017 R. Jason Clark, All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Additional Information

Links to various news articles on the washout event:

MDOT scrambles to repair washed out highway – from WLUC-TV 6 in Marquette, October 19, 2016.
MDOT: M-94 culvert washout won’t be repaired until spring – from the Pioneer-Tribune, November 24, 2016.
MDOT to build bridge over M-94 washout – from the Marquette Mining Journal, March 2, 2017.
M-94 bridge open ahead of schedule – from the Marquette Mining Journal, June 30, 2017.

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