Upton Road Bridge

There are three remaining through Parker truss bridges in Michigan, this bridge being one of them. The other two are quite different in design from this one, and are the Turner Road Bridge and the Kent Street Bridge.

This bridge is a pin connected through Parker truss, located west of the village of Elsie. It crosses the Maple River near a dam, on the reservoir side, the west side, of the dam. The bridge is extensively v-laced, with verticals and sway bracing all v-laced as well as under the top chord. Lattice is present on the portal bracing and also on the original guardrails. It sits on concrete abutments. This bridge is in its original location, and the old road is gone, although you can see where it once went north of the bridge as it curved west for a short bit before turning and continuing north. The current Upton Road in this area, curves westward as it heads south to meet Island Road on the opposite side of the reservoir. This bridge was built in 1901 by the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works. The Imlay City Railroad Bridge was a plate girder also built in 1901 by the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works.

This bridge appears to be in good structural condition, with the exception of its wooden deck which is in poor condition. Located in a roadside park setting, restoration of this bridge seems a sensible option. The bridge is a real asset to the park, although as it is, the bridge is not being considered as such, and there is even a sign posted warning people to stay off of the bridge.