Historic Bridge Park
Historic Bridge Park, located a bit southeast of Battle Creek in Calhoun County, Michigan, is a unique park which also functions as an open air museum whose focus is on the historic truss bridges that have been moved to and restored within the park. The park allows metal truss bridges that have become insufficient for their original location to be preserved for their historic and aesthetic value. There also is a historic stone arch railroad overpass within the park. Historic Bridge Park is the first of its kind in the entire United States. In addition to providing the historic bridges for the enjoyment of visitors, Historic Bridge Park is a fully functional park, with bathroom facilities, picnic areas, and paved trails for the enjoyment of pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.
Entry into the park is free of charge, and the park is open year-round from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
If you are new to the world of metal truss bridges, you might find viewing the Introduction to Truss Bridges presentation to be helpful.
The restoration of the metal truss bridges in the park was directed by Vern Mesler with the support of Dennis Randolph, former Managing Director of the Calhoun County Road Commission, carried out the restoration with an unprecedented attention paid to maintaining as much of the the original bridge material as possible, and exactly replicating any parts that required replacement. For example, during restoration, failed rivets on the bridges were replaced with rivets, not modern high strength bolts.
The park remains closed as Enbridge continues work to cleanup the damage caused by an oil spill that began upstream of the park and caused extensive damage downstream including at the park. In an effort to give back to the community that it has damaged and inconvienienced so extensively, Enbridge is also paying for improvements to Historic Bridge Park including improved restroom facilities, parking lots, and a new playground. An improved stairway up to the Charlotte Highway Bridge will also be present.
Below are photos of the park as of September, 2011
Views from Charlotte Highway Bridge.
Views from bottom of Charlotte Highway stairway.
Stairway to Charlotte Highway Bridge
This sign had been broken but has been repaired.
|
|
There are currently a five metal truss bridges and a stone arch bridge for a total of six bridges at the park available for the public to view and experience. All bridges are open to non-motorized traffic only. All bridges in the park have their own Bridge Browser page on HistoricBridges.org, complete with historical information and numerous photos of the bridges. Click the link below to access a list of bridges within and visible from the park and access the pages
Driving on I-94 Westbound, take Exit 104 which is 11 Mile Road. Turn left (south) from the off ramp to proceed south on 11 Mile Road. Drive in 11 Mile Road for 3/4 mile, going straight past Michigan Avenue (I-94 BL / M-96) and turn right (west) onto F Drive North. Follow the road until it ends. Turn left (south) onto Wattles Road, cross the railroad tracks and look and turn left (south) again at the drive with the Historic Bridge Park sign.
Alternate Route from Westbound I-94: Driving on I-94 Westbound, take Exit 104 which is 11 Mile Road. Turn left (south) from the off ramp to proceed south on 11 Mile Road. Cross the I-94 overpass and turn right at the stoplight intersection onto Michigan Avenue (I-94 BL / M-96). Follow Michigan Avenue to Wattles Road (a stoplight intersection) and turn left. Follow Wattles Road, cross the railroad tracks and turn left at the drive with the Historic Bridge Park sign.
Driving on Eastbound I-94, take Exit 100 which is Beadle Lake Road. Turn right (south) onto Beadle Lake Road and then take an immediate left (east) onto E Drive North. Follow E Drive North until it ends at 9 Mile Road (Wattles Road) and then turn left (north). Drive under I-94 and over the Kalamazoo River and then turn right (south) onto the drive with the the Historic Bridge Park sign.
In addition to housing the fascinating historic bridges, Historic Bridge Park also has resources found in normal parks. A boat launch is available to access the Kalamazoo River. A picnic and play area is present along the Kalamazoo River as well. New restroom facilities have been installed in the park. The North Country Trail passes through the park. The hard-surfaced path that connects the bridges in the park is open to all non-motorized forms of traffic, such as walking, biking etc.
HistoricBridges.org has prepared a guide that can be printed out and taken on a visit to Historic Bridge Park. It includes brief information about each bridge in the park, as well as a map of the park area and directions to get there.
View the Historic Bridge Park Visitor's Guide
Download a Printable PDF of the Entire Guide
Download a Printable PDF of the Bridge Descriptions Only
For several years, from roughly Thanksgiving through New Years, the bridge park had an an attractive light display where the truss bridges had lights strung on their members and chords to create a fun and interesting experience. Unfortunately, loss of funding has led to this event becoming a thing of the past. However a photo gallery of the truss bridges with lights on them is available here.
Below is the official Calhoun County page for Historic Bridge Park as well as the official page for Vern Mesler's historic bridge related work including the restoration of the bridges in the park.
Official Historic Bridge Park Website
Calhoun County Road Commission
