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Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Grosvenor Railroad Bridge Fayette Branch Railroad Bridge |
Railroad (Abandoned Lake Shore and Michigan Southern) Over River Raisin | Rural: Lenawee County, Michigan | Metal Pinned Pratt Through Truss, Stationary | 0 By: Unknown |
Thanks to Michael Netter for directions on finding this bridge. This is definitely a bridge to visit in the winter, as it is so overgrown, you can barely see the bridge even a few hundred feet away from the woods that surrounds this bridge. Long ago, this rail line was part of the line that crossed the Grosse Ile Free Bridge. This is a rare example of a multi-span railroad through truss bridge in Michigan It features extremely unusual portal bracing and sway bracing, similar to the sway bracing found on the older trusses of the Mead Avenue Bridge. There are extremely unusual inserts inside the end posts as well doing the job that battens, v-lacing or lattice usually does. The connection detail of the lateral bracing under the deck near the end post was unusual as well. This is a technologically significant structure for these unusual details, and for its two-span configuration. It is historically significant as a remnant of a rail line that originally ran down to Fayette, Ohio.
Each span is a seven panel structure. There is v-lacing present on the verticals. The center pier is of stone. There is a wooden approach system to the bridge. The tracks have been removed from the bridge, although the wooden ties remain.
