Currie Parkway Bridge

"Upper Bridge"

Within about ten second of being at this bridge I realized why this beautiful through truss was not on MDOT's website. It was not the steel arch which had been added to the bridge; I had known that would be present on this bridge. Rather, it was the modifications made to the truss structure. Something that every bridge enthusiast would immediately see and laugh at, but might pass by unnoticed by the average person, is the bottom chord, or what's left of it. The eyebars are all that remain, and they have been welded to the vertical member about six inches too high! It looks rather goofy. Some of the diagonal members have been severed and simply welded to the verticals as well. I am not an engineer, but I think the arch is the bridge, while the truss bridge is just supporting itself. On the other hand, there is no reason why this bridge couldn't be on MDOT's website. The bridge is listed on the register of historic places, and even has a informative plaque placed near it. The plaque mentions the arch, calling it an independent structural arch, suggesting that the arch really is the bridge. Even with all these changes, it is still easy to appreciate what the bridge originally was, and learn about historic bridges with this bridge. The truss bridge is a pin connected Pratt through truss. V-lacing is oriented parallel with the roadway on vertical members. V-lacing is also present under the top chord. The bridge is eight panels in length. The tall lattice portal and sway bracing is cool looking, and is not a style commonly seen in Michigan. The bridge was built in 1908 by the Joliet Bridge Company. An older and more historically intact example of this company's work can be found in the Smiths Crossing Bridge, a ways downstream from this bridge.

The steel arch does affect the appearance of the bridge, but I don't feel it does so too much. In a weird, twisted way, I think it is sort of cool looking. The bridge is posted for a five ton weight limit, which raises an interesting question. For all the cutting, welding and arch adding that went on, it really didn't amount to a large weight limit. Compare this to the Maple Road Bridge which was restored with attention paid to historic integrity. It made it up to 20 tons weight limit, which was accomplished with steel cables placed alongside the members on the bridge, which affected the appearance less. Of course the Currie Parkway Bridge was restored in 1988, over ten years before Maple Road, perhaps before newer restoration techniques were developed.

Overall the end result of the Currie Parkway Bridge is excellent. It represents a good compromise, in which the original bridge gets to remain, rather than being demolished. It is more proof to the world that there is always another solution besides demolishing a historic bridge.