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Grosse Ile Free Bridge

Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge

   

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Bridge Documented: August 1, 2005, October 11, 2009, and June 2, 2011

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth and Rick McOmber

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Key Facts

	Bridge Name	Facility Carried / Feature Intersected	Location	Structure Type	Construction Date and Builder/Engineer
	Grosse Ile Free Bridge Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge	Grosse Ile Parkway Over Trenton Channel (Detroit River)	Grosse Ile: Wayne County, Michigan	Metal Rivet-Connected Camelback Through Truss, Movable: Swing (Center Pier) and Approach Spans: Metal Deck Girder, Fixed	1932 By Builder/Contractor: Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company of Chicago, Illinois

Technical Facts

Rehabilitation Date	Main Span Length	Structure Length	Roadway Width	Main Spans	Approach Spans	NBI Number
2007	340 Feet (103.6 Meters)	1024 Feet (312.1 Meters)	20 Feet (6.1 Meters)	1	10	82200010000B020

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

There are two bridges, both historic swing truss bridges, that provide motorists with access to Grosse Ile. The other bridge is the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge, which is privately owned and is funded through a small toll paid to cross the bridge. This bridge in contrast is owned by the Wayne County Road Commission, and does not cost anything to cross. As a result, the bridge is often referred to as the Free Bridge. As can be expected, this bridge is far more busy than the toll bridge. However, as a public bridge it is also subject to the flawed funding systems of transportation funding found in the federal, and state levels of American government that encourage deferred maintenance and discourage spending on repair and maintenance. Despite this, overall, the bridge has been maintained better than the average historic truss bridge. However, the bridge is not maintained in the same pristine condition as the Toll Bridge. One oddity with the Free Bridge is that in 2007 the deck was replaced. During this project the original railings on the swing span were replaced with modern Armco guardrails. The approach railings (not original) were also replaced. However, no painting was done to the truss. It may have not needed a complete blast cleaning and repainting, but the bridge definitely could benefit from a spot painting. Painting is one of the most important ways to prevent deterioration of a metal truss bridge.

This bridge is an impressive 1932 swing camelback through truss bridge with a Pratt configuration. 1930s truss bridges are extremely rare in Michigan, and so the massive members and two-lane nature are quite an unusual sight in Michigan. Extensive v-lacing and lattice is present on members and bracing. Original vehicle guardrails are lattice also, and until replaced in 2007 were unaltered. Pedestrian railings are Michigan State Highway Department standard railings, which were commonly seen on the 1930s truss bridges when they were built, and they are also unmodified. The bridge in New Boston also has this standard plan railing. The bridge has a bunch of deck plate girder approaches at each end. Multiple plaques on the bridge describe the various contractors involved with the bridge.

MDOT lists this bridge as having been a railroad bridge originally. Photos about the railroading past of Grosse Ile can be found  here at the historic society's page.

Information and Findings From Michigan Historic Bridge Inventory Narrative Description This bridge was the last through truss swing bridge to be constructed in Michigan. It has ten steel girder spans, each 118 feet long, and a single camelback through truss swing span 340 feet in length, yielding a total length of 1350 feet. This structure was originally built for the Michigan Central Railroad by Augustus J. Dupuis Company of Detroit.

Photos and Videos: Grosse Ile Free Bridge

Available Photo Galleries and Videos

Click on a thumbnail or gallery name below to visit that particular photo gallery. If videos are available, click on a video name to view and/or download that particular video.

 

	Bridge Photo-Documentation Original / Full Size Photos	A collection of overview and detail photos. For the best visual immersion and full detail, or for use as a desktop background, this gallery presents the photos for this bridge in the original digital camera resolution.
	Bridge Photo-Documentation Mobile Optimized Gallery	A collection of overview and detail photos. View the photos for this bridge in a reduced size which is useful for mobile/smartphone users, modem (dial-up) users, or those who do not wish to wait for the longer download times of the full-size photos. Alternatively, view this photo gallery using a popup slideshow viewer (great for mobile users) by clicking the link below. Browse Gallery With Popup Viewer
	Westbound Crossing Full Motion Video	Note: The downloadable high quality version of this video (available on the video page) is well worth the download since it offers excellent 1080 HD detail and is vastly more impressive than the compressed streaming video. Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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