| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Dexter-Pinckney Road Bridge | Dexter-Pinckney Road Over Portage Lake Canal | Rural: Washtenaw County, Michigan | Concrete Through Girder, Stationary | 1920 By: Unknown |
| Technical Facts |
| Structure Length | Main Span Length | Roadway Width | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 50 Feet (15.2 Meters) | 45.9 Feet (14 Meters) | 23 Feet (7 Meters) | 1 | None |
Appropriately located about 3 miles southeast of Hell, Michigan, we all know right where the road commission would probably like to send this crumbling 23 foot wide bridge with a posted weight limited on a paved two-lane highway!
This bridge was once an attractive example of a utilitarian bridge design that Michigan built for shorter crossings during the late 1910s and into the 1920s. Today it is a sorry sight with extreme spalling destroying the simple beauty that this bridge's girders once displayed in the form of simple accents such as shapes of inset rectangles. The bridge is a blatant reminder of the cost (both money and history) of using salt to de-ice roads. Despite numerous de-icing alternatives that are non-corrosive and are also friendlier to the environment, most places continue to use salt to de-ice roads during Michigan's winter season, which often seems to be an endless season of snow and clouds.
Compared to other surviving bridges of this type in the state, the bridge is a relatively long example of a straight-chord girder span in Michigan.
It is unfortunate that this bridge is in such poor shape, as it is in a very scenic location and if it could be restored it would have looked quite nice where it is. However given its deterioration and location on a relatively well-traveled road, its future is not likely good.
