Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere offers photos, information, and maps for historic bridges. While various structure types are represented, emphasis is placed on metal truss bridges. Geographic coverage extends well beyond Michigan, including Ontario, Pennsylvania and many other places. From rural concrete bridges in Michigan, to the movable truss bridges of downtown Chicago, this photo-oriented website is also a resource for information, while at the same time discussing the risk of demolition that many of these bridges face, as well as political problems that arise regarding historic bridges.
Click Here For The Latest Website Update (7-21-08)
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Site interface, content, and photos created and managed by Nathan Holth. Field Team: Nathan Holth, Rick McOmber and Luke Gordon.
Bridge Spotlight:Foxburg Bridge Demolition
This unique bridge was
originally built to carry a railroad on the top, with cars using the
lower level. It is one of the most unique bridges in the state and is
very photogenic. It is also being demolished right now. A new bridge had
been built right next to it. PennDOT decided it needed to demolish the
historic bridge to make way for the sidewalk on the new bridge. To
bridge preservationists, this is ridiculous since reusing the historic
bridge as a "sidewalk" for non-motorized traffic would have been a
perfect use for the historic bridge. PennDOT is essentially demolishing
what would be the ultimate sidewalk for another modern and bland
sidewalk. |
Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere
Features
 An Introduction to Historic Bridges
Historic Bridges Encyclopedia
Historic Bridge Park: A Visitor's Guide
Turning the Tide - A Campaign For Change: A Future For Historic Bridges Michigan Historic Bridge Inventory: Metal Truss Bridges
Links to Related Websites
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Active Bridge Preservation Projects |
Last Website Update: 7-21-08. Updates and Historic Bridge News: July 21, 2008 - Foxburg Bridge and Upcoming UpdatesWe recently completed one of the most ambitious bridge trips ever for this website. The trip covered states out east like New Jersey, Connecticut, etc. Some of the rarest bridges in the country were photographed. Expect updates from this trip to filter in over the next year. Well over 100 bridges were photographed on this trip. The Foxburg Bridge is being demolished, so it is the spotlight, and its page has also been updated. May 8, 2008 - Pennsylvania Trip Update Complete!This is the fifth and final segment of the bridges to be added from the Pennsylvania trip. Bridges from some counties bordering Pennsylvania are part of this update too. Note that there are some photos from this trip to be added to bridges that already have a page on this website, those will be added at a later date. Click here to view bridges added as part of this final update segment.April 19, 2008 - Content Update - Pennsylvania Part 4: Lawrence and Beaver CountiesThis website is currently adding bridges from Pennsylvania (along with a few West Virginia and Maryland bridges) that were visited during 2007. The update includes over 130 new bridges, along with several bridges already on the site to add photos for. This April 19 portion of the update adds nine bridges, all in Lawrence and Beaver County, producing a more complete coverage of these counties, which have already had a presence on this website for some time. Click here to view a list of recently added/updated pages.March 9, 2008 - Content Update - Pennsylvania Part 3: 31 BridgesThis website is currently adding bridges from Pennsylvania (along with a few West Virginia and Maryland bridges) that were visited during 2007. The update includes over 130 new bridges, along with several bridges already on the site to add photos for. This March 9 update is the third of this multi-part update. It includes bridges in Westmoreland, Cambria, and Indiana Counties. Many of the bridges from Cambria County are in Johnstown, which has a nice collection of historic bridges. Click here to view a list of recently added/updated pages.March 6, 2008 - Content Update - Pennsylvania Part 2: 32 BridgesThis website is currently adding bridges from Pennsylvania (along with a few West Virginia and Maryland bridges) that were visited during 2007. The update includes over 130 new bridges, along with several bridges already on the site to add photos for. This March 6 update is the second of this multi-part update. It includes bridges in Allegheny and Fayette Counties. Many of the bridges are in Pittsburgh. The new Pittsburgh coverage expands to include bridges that do not cross the three big rivers in the city. It will take many years to fully cover the City of Bridges, but this update is a major landmark in coverage for Pittsburgh. In addition, this website update includes additional photos for the Foxburg Bridge and the Fort Steuben Bridge. Click here to view a list of recently added/updated pages.Also, in case anyone is wondering, the Bellaire Bridge will remain the Bridge Spotlight for March. It is a very important and threatened bridge that deserves more than the duration of a 29 day month on the spotlight.
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Below is an interactive clickable map that allows you to access the bridges on this website. Clicking on a state whose name is in blue letters will take you to the county list for that state or province. A clickable text list is available to the right of the map. Below the map a link is available to a text-only list of every county covered on this website.
A text-only browsing option is available here. BridgeSeek, an advanced search tool is also available.
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Michigan Ontario Illinois Indiana Kentucky Massachusetts Ohio New York Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin |
