Van Buren Street Bridge

Augusta has a lot of bridge history present on Augusta Creek, sometimes called Augusta Canal, which runs through the city. Three bridges of interest still stand, including this bridge, the M-96 Bridge, and the Washington Street Bridge. I was impressed with the historic bridges in Augusta, and the fact that this bridge remains open to traffic is awesome. Since this is the last truss bridge in the county, this bridge's preservation should be considered essential.

This bridge may be small, at only 28 feet in length, but it is nevertheless a very attractive bridge. According to the Michigan Historic Bridge Inventory the bridge was built in 1907. It is also locally significant as Kalamazoo County's last remaining truss bridge. The bridge is a three panel warren pony truss with riveted connections. The deck is concrete, and looks to have been repaired or replaced. V-lacing is present under the top chord. There are buttresses on the bridge. Original lattice guardrails remain on the bridge. The only noticeable alteration was small steel supports wedged in between the bottom chord and the end post very close to the bottom of the endpost. Plaques used to be on the bridge, but have been stolen or vandalized. The corners of one of the two plaques that once were on the bridge are still visible. The bridge is open to traffic and is posted at a three-ton weight limit. The bridge is a one-lane bridge. The bridge was in need of a paint job the first time I visited the bridge. A fall return trip found that the bridge had been freshly painted just like Washington Street Bridge. It is heart-warming to see a town that actually takes care of their truss bridge.