| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor | Engineer |
| Blue Water Bridge
Original/Westbound Span | I-69 and I-94 / KH-402 Over St. Clair River | Port Huron and Sarnia: St. Clair County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario | Metal Riveted Cantilever Through Truss, Stationary | 1938 By: American Bridge Company of New York, New York | Modjeski and Masters |
| Technical Facts |
| Structure Length (Excluding Plazas) | Bridge Width | Roadway Width | Main Spans |
| 6178 Feet / 1.17 Miles (1883 Meters / 1.88 Kilometers) | 38 Feet (11.6 Meters) | 32 Feet (9.75 Meters) | 3: 1 Central Cantilever Span at 871 Feet (265.4 Meters) and 2 Anchor Arm Spans at 326 Feet (99.4 Meters) Each |
| Approach Spans | Clearance Over St. Clair River | Maximum Height of Top Chord Over River |
| United States: 2283 Feet (696 Meters) Canada: 2657 Feet ( 810 Meters) - Total Approach Spans: 69 - Deck Plate Girder and Deck Truss. | 150 Feet (45.72 Meters) | 210 Feet (45.72 Meters) |
This bridge is a monumental cantilever bridge, connecting Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, Ontario. Cantilever bridges are the largest and most complex form of truss bridge. The bridge has riveted connections. V-lacing or lattice is present on nearly all members, with the exceptions of diagonals and verticals on the first quarters of each end of the main span. The structure was completed in 1938. This bridge has an unusual shape for a cantilever bridge, with its smooth and continuous top chord shape. A few other bridges were built with this shape, but they are uncommon. The Blue Water Bridge stands out among those other examples as one of the oldest. The total weight of the steel and concrete in the bridge is 86,905 Tons. There are (originally) 2,228,000 rivets on the structure. These rivets alone total 500 tons. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1999. The bridge originally had two lanes and sidewalks, but the sidewalks were removed and the bridge converted to three lanes.
The new bridge is a continuous tied arch. The design was selected because it has a similar shape as the old bridge, and does not interfere as much with the appearance of the area. The two bridges stand as a comparison to the intricacy of truss bridges, and the simplicity of modern bridges.
As with any large bridge there are a million different angles that the bridge can be photographed, although the presence of the new bridge complicates matters somewhat. A large and well-organized photo gallery is available for this bridge and contains some of the finest photos of the historic Blue Water Bridge that can be found on the Internet. Enjoy!
Information and Findings From MDOT
The original Blue Water Bridge linking Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia,
Ontario was completed in 1938 at a cost of $4 million, financed jointly
by the State of Michigan and the Province of Ontario. This steel
cantilever bridge has a main span of 871 feet, anchor arms 326 feet
long, and approaches consisting of deck girder spans and two deck truss
spans adjoining the anchor arms on both the American and Canadian sides.
The American approach spans are 2283 feet in length, while the Canadian
approach is 2657 feet long, giving the bridge an overall length of 6463
feet. It is 38 feet wide, providing a roadway of 32 feet and two
sidewalks. Each of the two main piers consists of two caissons 26 feet
in diameter, whit eight foot dredging wells. These were sunk to rock 95
feet below water level. |
