Cheboygan Bridge

This Bridge Has Been Restored!

Key Facts

Bridge Name	Facility Carried / Feature Intersected	Location	Structure Type	Construction Date / Builder or Contractor
Cheboygan Bridge	US-23 Over Cheboygan River	Cheboygan: Cheboygan County, Michigan	Metal Deck Girder, Movable: Bascule	1940 By: W.J. Storen Company

Technical Facts

Construction Date	Rehabilitation Date	Total Length	Movable Structure Length	Approach Span	Navigation Horizontal Clearance	Navigation Vertical Clearance	Builder
1940	2003	155 Feet (47.24 Meters)	70 Feet (21.34 Meters)	2 Steel Stringer at 42 Feet (12.8 Meters) each.	60 Feet (18.29 Meters)	26 Feet (7.93 Meters)	W.J. Storen Co., Contractors

This is an extremely small bascule bridge. Although the total length is of fair size, the main movable span is quite short for a bascule bridge. Because of its short length, one might expect that such a bridge would be a single-leaf structure, but the Cheboygan bridge is in fact a double-leaf. This bridge also features one steel stringer approach span at each end of the bridge.

This bridge was renovated by MDOT in 2003. MDOT has shown an interest in preserving a few of its bridges, which is noteworthy, as many departments in other states do not make such moves at all. MDOT has a special process they did on this bridge as well as the Belding Bridge to retain the historic railings while also upgrading the railings to meet currently acceptable standards. They used special posts that are similar looking to the original steel posts, but include special mounts for modern steel box railings on the traffic side of the railings. Behind those, they attach the original railing panels. The result is that the original appearance, especially from a riverside view, is still fairly similar. This represents a rare compromise in which both safety and history can coexist, and serves as an example for future preservation projects.

Information and Findings From MDOT

The Cheboygan Bascule Bridge, located in the county seat of Cheboygan, carries US-23 over the Cheboygan River. The structure is comprised of three steel deck girder spans: the center movable span, flanked by two uniform-depth fixed girders. The structure extends 155 feet – the three spans are 42 feet, 70 feet, and 42 feet respectively – with a 40-foot-wide roadway. When raised, the bridge provides a 60-foot-wide river channel for passing water craft.

Built in 1940, the Cheboygan Bascule Bridge is at least the second movable-span structure at this site. The current structure replaced a 70-year-old, iron swing-span bridge here, reportedly made hazardous by long use and heavy traffic. According to MSHD Commissioner G. Donald Kennedy, the old bridge vibrated noisily under traffic, and its unloaded end caused the “rusty old structure [to] bounce up and down on its seat.”

The new heavier, wider bridge must have come as a relief to the citizens of Cheboygan. The new bridge was engineered in early 1940. Construction of the bridge and its approach grading was set to begin in May 1940 and to finish by late fall. It was completed by December 1940, slightly behind schedule but just before wartime restrictions on critical materials went into effect.

The Cheboygan Bascule Bridge was the last bascule bridge built in Michigan before World War II. The Cheboygan Bridge linked the entire length of Lake Huron from Port Huron to Mackinaw City and served as a connecting link between shoreline US-23 and mid-state north-south route US-27.

Kennedy predicted that the span would help progress in the northern section of the state and “add greatly to the popularity of this scenic highway among the thousands of tourists who annually visit norther Michigan.” The new bridge was also notable for its safety, incorporating multiple safety devices such as safety barriers, traffic gates and traffic lights.

Visit MDOT's Historic Bridge Website