CASS COUNTY — Years of water damage forced officials in Cass County to close a heavily traveled road. Redfield Street was closed between Adamsville and Cassopolis roads late last week because the bridge over Christiana Creek isn't safe.

Michigan's budget problems could make this a long time problem for drivers.

As Pat Durben and her family load up for their annual trip to Wisconsin, getting out of town has gotten more difficult.

"It's a pain in the 'you know what,'" she said.

The Durbens have lived off of Redfield Street for more than 40 years, but thanks to a bridge that's been there just as long, they've been forced to put a detour into their routine.

The Cass County Road Commission closed the bridge after inspections showed it wasn't safe for the 2,500 cars that pass over it every day.

"We had been visiting that bridge on a weekly basis. Last week, we looked at it and said we could just no longer keep it open," said Louis Csokasy, Cass County Road Commission.

The wooden structure bridge has too many problems to be fixed and needs to be replaced. But with a $1 million price tag, it could take three years or longer to receive the funds from the Michigan budget.

"The fact of the matter is there's a number of bridges in Michigan that are closed, and it's a matter of waiting for funding. Nobody wants to hear it, but it's where it at," Csokasy said.

While the bridge closure is an inconvenience, Durben and her neighbors say they're more concerned about a potential increase in emergency response time.

Cass County officials say they're doing what they can to get the bridge open sooner than expected.

"We're investigating ways we could fix the bridge to the extent that we make it safe and allow some commercial traffic to go over it. Will we ever have trucks go over that bridge until it gets replaced? No," Csokasy said.

In the meantime, Durden says she may have to look into other alternatives to get around the bridge.

"Build our own bridge," she joked.

Cass County will find out in October when it will get the funds to fix the bridge. The earliest construction could begin is 2012.

If the county is able to temporarily fix the bridge, it could be reopen in three months.