| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Irish Road Bridge | Irish Road Over Flint River | Rural: Genesee County, Michigan | Metal Stringer, Stationary | 1928 By: Price Brothers Company |
| Technical Facts |
| Structure Length | Roadway Width | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 152 Feet (46.3 Meters) | 30 Feet (9.1 Meters) | 1 | None |
This bridge is a standard plan stringer bridge of decent length. This design bridge was built with frequency from the late 1920s through the early 1930s. With a 1928 construction date, this is a fairly early example of this particular bridge design. Unfortunately, the bridge has not been maintained, and salt damage and lack of paint have taken an extreme toll on this once-mighty bridge. Advanced deterioration of the steel stringers is apparent and the concrete diaphragms have spalled severely. This bridge highlights the need for transportation funding in the United States to be revised to focus on maintenance rather than replacement. The current funding programs tend to reward agencies for allowing their bridges to deteriorate by readily providing money for replacement and not repair. The result is both a waste of taxpayer dollars and a loss of many bridges of historic value.
