New Richmond Swing Bridge

	New Richmond Swing Bridge
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Michigan State Historic Site
	Location within the state of Michigan New Richmond Swing Bridge (the United States)
Location	Manlius Township, Michigan
Coordinates	42°39′5.47″N86°6′25.17″W / 42.6515194°N 86.1069917°W
Built	1879
Architect	Milwaukee Bridge & Iron Co.
NRHP reference No.	98000273
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 1, 1998
Designated MSHS	April 4, 1978

Last updated October 12, 2024

The New Richmond Swing Bridge, also known as the Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge, is a one lane swing bridge in Michigan. Located in Allegan County's Manlius Township, it connected 57th Street with Old Allegan Road over the Kalamazoo River until its closure to vehicular traffic. The name New Richmond comes from a former mining town in the area of the same name. The bridge is one of the oldest - if not the oldest - swing bridges extant in the United States, and is one of the oldest metal truss bridges in the state of Michigan and the state's longest pony truss bridge.^[3]

History

The first bridge to cross the Kalamazoo River at this location was constructed in 1842, as part of a local highway connecting Allegan with the now-defunct village of Singapore. The 1842 wooden drawbridge was replaced in 1856 with a similar structure. In 1877, part of this bridge collapsed into the river, and by late 1878, preparations were being made to tear down the wooden bridge and replace it with an iron one.^[3]

The Milwaukee Bridge & Iron Company was contracted to build the superstructure of the present bridge, made of iron and with a swinging section to allow passage of vessels through the river below, as that section of the river was considered navigable to smaller commercial craft at the time. The first shipment of iron arrived in February 1879, and the bridge was completed later that year.^[3]

The bridge was repaired in 1899, replacing one of the spans. River traffic declined to a trickle in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the need to open the bridge to allow for river traffic evaporated. The manually operated swing span was last used at some point around 1920. In 1975, a new river crossing was constructed on 58th Street, only 1/2 mile from the 57th Street bridge. In 1976, the 57th Street bridge was closed due to its deterioration, but over the next few years it was rehabilitated and reconstructed, and was reopened to vehicular traffic in 1979.^[3]

The bridge was again closed to vehicular traffic in 1997 for safety reasons.^[3] In 2004, the bridge was again restored, and is now used for pedestrians at the New Richmond Park to access parkland on both sides of the river.^[4] In 2010, the bridge was designated as a Michigan Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.^[1]^[5]

Description

The New Richmond Swing Bridge has four main spans, plus eight short approach spans, totaling 422 feet (129 m) in length. The four main spans include an 89 feet (27 m) long pinned Warren pony truss swing span, two 70 feet (21 m) long pinned Warren pony truss spans on either side, and an additional 51 feet (16 m) long rivetted Warren pony truss span (repaired in 1899). On the south side, two 24 feet (7.3 m) long approach spans slope upward to meet the bridge, which sits on a concrete abutment. On the north side, six short-span steel stringer structures, each 12 feet (3.7 m) to 16 feet (4.9 m) long, approach the bridge, again on concrete abutments.^[3]

Swing Pivot (still in use by request)
Historical marker

Related Research Articles

The Ada Covered Bridge is a 125-foot (38 m) span Brown truss covered bridge erected in 1867 in Ada, Michigan, United States. Carrying Bronson Street across the Thornapple River, it is located just south of where the Thornapple enters the Grand River, in turn just south of M-21. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fallasburg Bridge is a 100-foot (30 m) span Brown truss covered bridge, erected in 1871 in Vergennes Township, Michigan, United States, 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Lowell on the Flat River. Carrying Covered Bridge Road across the Flat, it is located in the Fallasburg Historical District south of Whites Bridge and Smyrna. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and along with Whites Bridge, Langley Covered Bridge, and Zehnder's Holz Brucke, is one of only four Michigan covered bridges open to vehicle traffic.

Blackfriars Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada is a wrought iron bowstring arch through truss bridge, crossing the North Thames River. The bridge was constructed in 1875 and carries single-lane vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians from Blackfriars Street to Ridout Street North.

The Atherton Bridge is a historic iron truss bridge in Lancaster, Massachusetts, spanning the South Branch of the Nashua River. It is a rare example of a hybrid pony truss that is similar to the 19th century truss design of Simeon S. Post. It was built by J. H. Cofrode & Co. of Philadelphia in 1870. It was the first iron bridge to be constructed in the town. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Golden Hill Bridge is a historic bridge on Golden Hill Road over the Housatonic River in Lee, Massachusetts. It is a lenticular pony truss bridge built c. 1885 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, and is the state's oldest surviving bridge of this type. It is one of only five Berlin Co. bridges in the Berkshires, and is the only known surviving bridge to implement modifications to the pony truss design patented by William O. Douglas in 1885. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Chevelon Creek Bridge is a historic road bridge located about 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Winslow, in Navajo County, eastern Arizona, United States. It is a steel Warren Pony truss bridge over Chevelon Creek, built on the first permanent road connecting Holbrook, the seat of Navajo County, and Winslow. When built, the road was regionally important in northern Arizona as well as being a segment of an early national highway at the time automobile traffic was growing and national roads were first being formed. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 for being a rare design in Arizona, part of an early transnational roadway, one of the first bridges built by Arizona after statehood in 1912, and being in nearly original condition.

The Glen Falls Bridge is a historic bridge that formerly carried Brunswick Avenue over the Moosup River in Plainfield, Connecticut. Built in 1886 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, it is one of a shrinking number of surviving 19th-century lenticular truss bridges in the state. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It has been closed to all traffic for many years.

The Jackson Branch Bridge No. 15, also known as the Tecumseh Railroad Bridge due to its close proximity to the city of Tecumseh, is a historic railway deck truss bridge that spans the River Raisin in rural Raisin Charter Township in Lenawee County, Michigan. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 2001.

The ERT Bridge over Blacks Fork near Fort Bridger, Wyoming, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as part of a thematic study on early 20th century steel truss bridges in Wyoming. The ERT Bridge is a Warren pony truss bridge spanning 80 feet (24 m) with a width of 15.75 feet (4.80 m). Set on concrete abutments, the ERT Bridge was built around 1920 by Uinta County. It is an example of a transitional design from locally built bridges to standardized State designs

The Old US 41–Backwater Creek Bridge is a bridge located on an abandoned section of US Highway 41 (US 41) over Backwater Creek in Baraga Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

The Lake Shore Drive Bridge, also known as the M-26 Bridge or the Eagle River Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge in Eagle River, Michigan, crossing the Eagle River. It carried highway M-26 over the river from 1915 until 1990, when the adjacent Eagle River Timber Bridge replaced it for automobile traffic. The Lake Shore Drive Bridge is listed as a Michigan State Historic Site and is a contributing property of the Eagle River Historic District.

The Parker Road–Charlotte River Bridge, also known as the 10 Mile Road–Charlotte River Bridge, is a bridge building located on Parker Road over the Charlotte River in Bruce Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

The Second Street Bridge is a one-lane, single-span truss bridge in Allegan, in the U.S. state of Michigan, that carries Second Street over the Kalamazoo River. It is a Michigan State Historic Site, a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1886, the bridge replaced an earlier wooden structure. In the early 1980s, the bridge underwent significant renovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Road Bridge</span> NRHP-listed bridge in United States

The Bell Road Bridge is a Pratt through truss bridge in Dexter Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan. Built in 1891, the bridge carried Bell Road over the Huron River. From 1997 to 2018, the bridge sat on the riverbank, overgrown with brush. The bridge is a Michigan State Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delhi Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Delhi Bridge, also known as the East Delhi Bridge, is a one-lane, wrought iron Pratt through truss bridge that carries East Delhi Road over the Huron River in Scio Township, Michigan. The bridge was completed on October 12, 1883 to replace a wooden span built in 1851. In 1917, the bridge was severely damaged by a tornado but was rebuilt. After it was closed to traffic in 2005 for being unsafe, the bridge was renovated and reopened in 2009. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Sixth Street Bridge is a four-span, wrought iron bridge that crosses the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a Michigan State Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1886, it is the longest and oldest metal truss bridge in Michigan.

The bridge is significant locally as the only Pratt through-truss bridge remaining in Kosciusko County, and is important regionally as one of the few surviving spans built by the Bellefontaine Bridge and Iron Company.

Starke County Bridge No. 39 is a single span Warren Pony Truss structure. The bridge is located on the northern outskirts of the small town of Knox, Indiana, where Main and Water Streets terminate at the former Penn Central Railroad cut. The bridge spans the rail cut in a northwest–southeast direction, allowing access to Wythougan Park.

The Gugel Bridge, also known as the Beyer Road – Cass River Bridge, is a bridge carrying Beyer Road over the Cass River in Frankenmuth Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It is the only remaining example in Michigan of a bridge with both a pony truss span and a main through truss span.

The Red Bridge is a historic bridge spanning the Quinnipiac River near Oregon Road in Meriden, Connecticut. It was built in 1891 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, and is one of a small number of surviving lenticular truss bridges in the state, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The bridge is open to pedestrian traffic only.

References

1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
↑ Staff (2009). "Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge". Historic Sites Online. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Robert O. Christensen (January 1998), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge
↑ "New Richmond Park". Allegan County Parks and Recreation. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
↑ "Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved March 6, 2021.

External links

Media related to Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[nris-1] 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2010.

[2] Staff (2009). "Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge". Historic Sites Online. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2010.

[nom-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Robert O. Christensen (January 1998), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge

[4] "New Richmond Park". Allegan County Parks and Recreation. Retrieved June 16, 2017.

[5] "Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved March 6, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]