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Gale Road Bridge

Gale Road Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: November 20, 2005 - April 16, 2014

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Bridge Park Trail Over Dickinson Creek
Location
Rural: Calhoun County, Michigan: United States
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1897 By Builder/Contractor: Lafayette Bridge Company of Lafayette, Indiana
Rehabilitation Date
Not Available or Not Applicable
Main Span Length
118.0 Feet (36 Meters)
Structure Length
118.0 Feet (36 Meters)
Roadway Width
14.4 Feet (4.39 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s)
Inventory Number
33311H00010B010

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
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Bridge Documentation

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

This bridge has been moved and restored, and now resides in Historic Bridge Park.

This bridge is the last known remaining highway Pratt through truss in Michigan that is skewed. HABS HAER documented the Sheridan Road Bridge in Saginaw County prior to its demolition, which also was skewed. They mentioned that it was the last skewed Pratt through truss in Michigan. The Gale Road Bridge must have been disassembled and in storage when they made that assessment. Now that Gale Road Bridge stands restored as the third bridge erected in the park, it takes the honor. Although the Gale Road Bridge is not heavily skewed, it does have that unique crooked appearance that makes a skewed bridge interesting to look at. The bridge was built in 1897 by the Lafayette Bridge Company. The bridge is a seven panel bridge and has pinned connections. V-lacing is present on verticals and under the top chord. The bridge also has an unusual and plain sway bracing design. A county commissioner plaque remains atop the portal, however the end post builder plaque is missing, as indicated by the oval-shaped rust scar on the end post.

The portal bracing on this bridge was completely rebuilt as part of the restoration, due to poor condition of the original. The new bracing was designed to have the same appearance as the original bracing, although steel angles were used instead of flat bars resulting in an unusual appearance that would not have been present on the original structure.


This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Reused

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Gale Road Bridge

 

View Photo Gallery

2005 Bridge Photo-Documentation

A collection of overview and detail photos. This photo gallery contains a combination of Original Size photos and Mobile Optimized photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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View Photo Gallery

2014 Bridge Photo-Documentation

Original / Full Size Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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View Photo Gallery

2014 Bridge Photo-Documentation

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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Maps and Links: Gale Road Bridge

The above map shows the current location of the bridge. The bridge originally crossed the Grand River on Gale Road, Ingham County, Michigan

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.

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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