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Chicagon Mine Road Bridge

Chicagon Mine Road Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: October 1, 2012

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Chicagon Mine Road Over Chicagon Creek
Location
Rural: Iron County, Michigan: United States
Structure Type
Concrete Slab, Fixed
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1910 By Builder/Contractor: Unknown
Rehabilitation Date
Not Available or Not Applicable
Main Span Length
25.0 Feet (7.6 Meters)
Structure Length
28.0 Feet (8.5 Meters)
Roadway Width
15 Feet (4.57 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s)
Inventory Number
4199

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
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Bridge Documentation

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

This bridge is a small bridge and does not have much in the way of beauty, aside from some inset panels on its solid concrete railings. However, the bridge is noteworthy  as the earliest known concrete slab bridge surviving in Michigan. It represents the introduction of concrete into Michigan bridge construction. The bridge is unaltered and overall appears to be in decent condition. The only issue noted is that the bridge has an only slightly noticeable sag. It is not known if this is an original issue with the bridge or something that developed later. This does not appear to pose a serious issue to the bridge's structural integrity; the bridge's superstructure was rated as Fair in the 2012 National Bridge Inventory.

Information and Findings From Michigan Historic Bridge Inventory

Narrative Description

The Chicagon Creek Bridge carries the gravel-surfaced Chicagon Mine Road over a small stream in rural Bates Township. The bridge is comprised of a single 25-foot, concrete slab span, supported by concrete abutments with angled concrete wingwalls. The structure is simply detailed, featuring plainly surfaced spandrels and exterior walls of concrete guardrails. Only the interior surfaces of the guardrails have recessed rectangular panels. "September 7, 1910" is etched in the coping of one guardrail, and "DB" is etched in the other. In good structural condition, the Chicagon Creek Bridge has retained a high degree of physical integrity.

Statement of Significance

Before the standardization of bridge design by the state highway department, county and township road commissions were individually responsible for local bridge design and construction. Most of the vehicular structures built during this period employed either steel truss or timber stringer superstructures; concrete spans, generally restricted to urban areas, were seldom built at rural crossings. The Chicagon Creek Bridge is a notable exception to this trend. Built in 1910, probably for the Iron County Road Commission, it is a simply configured example of early concrete construction. In fact, it is the earliest dateable concrete slab bridge found. As such, the Chicagon Creek Bridge is technologically and historically significant for its representation of pre-MSHD concrete slab bridge design. Although modest in its design and dimensions, it is an important early transportation-related resource.

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Maps and Links: Chicagon Mine Road Bridge

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Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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