Old Packard bridge falling apart
Chunks of concrete drop onto streets, sidewalks, but little is done about it
BY BILL McGRAW
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
May 2, 2008
It was a nice spring day last week when John Irvin walked past the hulking old Packard plant on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit.
Irvin, 52, passed the shattered glass, garbage and other debris that has spilled out of the eviscerated building. But as he approached Concord Street, he came upon the most ominous sight of all -- hundreds of chunks of concrete scattered across the sidewalk, lawn and street.
The concrete falls from the covered bridge that connects the north and south sections of the giant plant. Some pieces are as small as pebbles. Some are 4-foot slabs too heavy to lift. Most are in between.
Irvin looked around and came to a logical conclusion: "It's a dangerous situation," he said. "Somebody's going to get hurt."
The interior of the bridge that joins sections of the massive former auto assembly complex is rusting. Firefighters say scrappers have cut out some of its support beams and fear it will collapse. Slabs of concrete as large as 4 feet have fallen from it.
The bridge, made of brick and concrete, is about 150 feet long and 35 feet wide. It spans the boulevard one story above the roadway and contained the Packard assembly line until the auto company departed in 1956. Much of the concrete appears to have fallen from the raggedy edge at the top of the bridge, but cracks and signs of wear are evident on many other sections.
The bridge interior is rusting and rotting, like the rest of the plant. Firefighters from the nearby engine house say scrappers have cut out some support beams from inside the bridge, and they fear it could collapse someday.
After some chunks fell in December, the city's Department of Public Works sectioned off part of the boulevard with yellow caution tape. The chunks continue to fall, though, and cars and people pass every day with no warning. One tiny piece fell while the Free Press was on the scene last week.
Is falling concrete a problem? Is anyone concerned about the cracks? Does someone in a position of authority worry that a pedestrian or motorists might get conked or crushed? Is the owner of the plant concerned about liability?
Just asking.
"It's on our radar," said James Canning, a spokesman for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
City officials have completed an inspection of the plant and are preparing to issue violation and correction orders, Canning said. They could go before the City Council to ask that the plant be put on a demolition list.
"The owner needs to redevelop or tear down this dangerous building," Canning said.
The owner is Bioresource Inc., which emerged with title to the property last year after a long and complicated legal battle. Bioresource's attorney, Barry Steinway, did not respond to phone calls and e-mails. In a previous interview, he said negotiations are under way that could result in a sale and transformation of the property but provided no details.
State records show Bioresource has not filed an annual report since 2000 and was declared dissolved by the state in 2003. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1997. Canning said Bioresource has not paid city taxes since it bought the plant in 1987.
The Packard plant is immense: 47 buildings on 38 acres and 3 1/2 million square feet, the equivalent of five Cobo Centers. Today, it is home to one business, a small chemical-processing firm.
The plant is a major attraction, mainly for young urban explorers. But it also is dangerous: Roofs and floors in some buildings have collapsed, and girders and I-beams have been stolen by scrappers. Water seeped out of the building's east side last week.
Some passersby suggested nobody in power cares because the plant is in a poor neighborhood.
"I think they need to tear it down before it hurts somebody," said Michole Bacon, 26. "I see the pieces in the street. That's crazy."
