View Information About HSR Ratings
Following the Kalamazoo River upstream in the town of Albion, the river splits into two branches just a ways north of East Erie Street, the North Branch and the South Branch. At East Erie Street, the two branches are parallel each other, both assuming a north-south orientation. Heading east on East Erie Street from M-99 (Superior Street) you cross the South Branch Kalamazoo River and then the North Branch Kalamazoo River. As a result you cross two separate bridges. Each of these two bridges has another two bridges, one on each side of it serving sidewalk traffic. Usually sidewalks are integrated with the highway bridge, but this is not the case here. With the South Branch crossing, the highway bridge is historic, but the sidewalk bridges are not. With the North Branch crossing, the highway bridge is not historic, while the two sidewalk crossings are.
Click here to see a detailed map of the area, with labels for where the bridges are.
MDOT has a page for an East Erie Street Bridge crossing the Kalamazoo River, not specifying which branch. The photo they included is of the sidewalk bridge on the North Branch crossing. The North Branch sidewalk bridges and the South Branch highway Bridge are both considered historic.
The North Branch sidewalk bridges are simple concrete structures. They resemble concrete through girder bridges with their high concrete sides with inset rectangles for modest decoration. MDOT listed a 1908 construction date for these bridges, the same as the highway bridge.
The North Branch Highway Bridge was a steel beam bridge. It featured unusual concrete railings for guardrails. These railings were also used to edge the river in this area. The bridge has a 16 ton weight limit posted. The steel was badly rusted, although blue paint was still visible on the bridge.
In the photo gallery, for the sake of clarity, the North Branch Sidewalk Bridge is referred to as the Historic Sidewalk Bridge and the South Branch Highway Bridge is referred to as the Historic Highway Bridge.
Information and Findings From Michigan Historic Bridge InventoryNarrative Description This is an unusual bridge design in that the sidewalks on both sides of the roadway are distinct, separate structures. |
This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos
This historic bridge has been demolished. This map is shown for reference purposes only.
Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):
Search For Additional Bridge Listings:
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.
Additional Maps:
Google Streetview (If Available)
GeoHack (Additional Links and Coordinates)
Apple Maps (Via DuckDuckGo Search)
Apple Maps (Apple devices only)
Android: Open Location In Your Map or GPS App
Flickr Gallery (Find Nearby Photos)
Wikimedia Commons (Find Nearby Photos)
Directions Via Sygic For Android
Directions Via Sygic For iOS and Android Dolphin Browser
USGS National Map (United States Only)
Historical USGS Topo Maps (United States Only)
Historic Aerials (United States Only)
CalTopo Maps (United States Only)
© Copyright 2003-2024, HistoricBridges.org. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer: HistoricBridges.org is a volunteer group of private citizens. HistoricBridges.org is NOT a government agency, does not represent or work with any governmental agencies, nor is it in any way associated with any government agency or any non-profit organization. While we strive for accuracy in our factual content, HistoricBridges.org offers no guarantee of accuracy. Information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Information could include technical inaccuracies or errors of omission. Opinions and commentary are the opinions of the respective HistoricBridges.org member who made them and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone else, including any outside photographers whose images may appear on the page in which the commentary appears. HistoricBridges.org does not bear any responsibility for any consequences resulting from the use of this or any other HistoricBridges.org information. Owners and users of bridges have the responsibility of correctly following all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, regardless of any HistoricBridges.org information.
