M-49 through Camden: MDOT's alternate-beam reconstruction runs to 2030

The Michigan Department of Transportation will take bids Dec. 4, 2026 on a full reconstruction of M-49 through the village of Camden in Hillsdale County, according to MDOT's Notice of Advertisement.

The scope

Call 002, contract ID 30011-211153, covers 1.18 miles of hot mix asphalt roadway reconstruction on M-49 from the south village limit to the north village limit of Camden. The notice lists storm sewer, sanitary sewer, concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk, culvert replacements, retaining walls, a bridge superstructure replacement, a temporary bridge, guardrail, signing and pavement markings.

The completion date is Sept. 20, 2030, the latest of any call MDOT had advertised for Nov. 6 or Dec. 4. The notice estimates 513 pages of plans.

Two ways to build the bridge

MDOT is bidding the bridge as an alternate beam project. The notice says Alternate 1 (Section 3) is a galvanized press-brake-formed tub girder alternative, and Alternate 2 (Section 4) is a plate girder alternative. Bidders price the job with one or the other.

Press-brake-formed tub girders are shallow steel girders made by bending a flat steel plate into a trapezoidal "tub" shape. They are typically used on short-span bridges. Plate girders are the conventional built-up steel I-girders. Offering both lets fabricators and contractors compete on whichever they can build more economically. The notice does not give the span length or other bridge details; those are in the plans.

Prequalification and subcontractors

The notice lists the net classification required as "17341 Ea or Comb/Jt. 17341 Fa, K." It also says the project includes subclassifications Ea, Fa and K, and that a prime contractor not prequalified in those subclassifications must use prequalified subcontractors, who must be designated before the contract is awarded to the confirmed low bidder.

Goals and warranties

The required DBE participation is 0.00%, and the required Small Business Program participation is 5.00%, one of the higher SBP goals among MDOT's December calls. The project includes a 5-year materials and workmanship pavement warranty and a 2-year concrete surface coating warranty.

What it means locally

A reconstruction that includes storm and sanitary sewer, sidewalks and a temporary bridge through a small village is the kind of project that generates work for local excavators, underground utility contractors, concrete flatwork crews and trucking firms, in addition to the prime and the bridge subcontractors. With a completion date nearly four years out, it may be built in stages over several construction seasons; the plans will show the staging.

Nearby

This site's Hillsdale County hub lists MDOT-prequalified contractors and open MDOT calls in the county. The full Dec. 4 list, including the I-94 Detroit project and US-127 reconstruction in Lansing and East Lansing, is on our bids page.

Contractors nearby

MDOT's prequalified list includes only 2 firms with Hillsdale County addresses. Jackson County, to the north, has 15, and Lenawee County, to the east, has 3. A project of this size will likely draw primes from across southern Michigan.

How to bid MDOT work

Each call in MDOT's Notice of Advertisement states the net prequalification classification a prime contractor needs. Where a project also includes subclassifications, the notice says a prime that is not prequalified in them must use prequalified subcontractors, designated before award. Each call also lists the required DBE participation and the required Small Business Program (SBP) participation, the completion date and any warranties, and says to see the proposal for bidder guaranty information. Proposals and plans are available online through MDOT's eProposal system, and MDOT's lettings are held at 425 W. Ottawa St. in Lansing at 10:30 a.m. local time. Public contracts over $50,000 require payment and performance bonds under MCL 129.201.