The Belle Isle Bridge is an open-spandrel arch bridge over the Detroit River that connects East Jefferson Avenue and East Grand Boulevard to Belle Isle Island in Detroit, Michigan.
History
The original Belle Isle Bridge, connecting Detroit to Belle Isle Island, was built over a 21-month timeframe in 1888-89 by the Milwaukee Bridge & Iron Works of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1 6 Costing $295,000 6 and opening to pedestrians and horse-drawn buggies on May 12, 4 it was comprised of twelve Pratt-through trusses, a swing Pratt-through truss, and timber trestles, with a main span of 318 feet. 1
In September 1897, the Toledo Bridge Company replaced the timber trestle approaches between the swing span and Belle Isle end with five Warren pony truss spans. 5
As early as 1902, city planners proposed a $600,000 appropriation for a new bridge to Belle Isle. 6 However, voters rejected this idea. Subsequent proposals faced similar outcomes at the polls.
On April 27, 1915, a fire destroyed a significant portion of the bridge when the creosote blocks forming the roadway deck, soaked by oil drippings from automobiles, caught fire. 1 3 Every span between the island approach and the drawspan fell into the river. 3 Only the stone piers remained in position. On the island, over 1,000 people and 100 vehicles were marooned and rescued by the Detroit & Windsor Ferry Company, which had sent a steamer Garland to the rescue.
Salvaging efforts preserved five 88-foot-long steel pony truss sections near Belle Isle. 1 Following the fire, a temporary timber bridge was constructed in July 1916, incorporating the salvaged pony trusses and a new double-leaf deck girder bascule main span.
Subsequently, the Swan family of Gross Ile purchased one of the salvaged spans. 1 They had Dunbar and Sullivan dredge out the swamp separating Snake Island (later renamed Swan Island) from southwest Gross Ile. The surviving pony truss was then floated down the Detroit River on a barge and erected.
Replacement Bridge
Meanwhile, plans for a permanent replacement bridge were being developed. Concerns over soil conditions ruling out traditional concrete arch bridges led to the proposal of a concrete arch bridge with cantilevered arms extending from each pier. 1 However, this was deemed too costly. Ultimately, a design by University of Michigan professor Lewis Merritt Gram featuring an open-spandrel arch bridge was chosen, with no provision for a bascule main span due to larger boats using the eastern side of the island’s main channel. 1 6
Construction of the new Belle Isle Bridge commenced in June 1921. 6 It was completed in 29 months, opening to the public on November 1, 1923. The $2.6 million project was undertaken by the Greiling Brothers Construction Company of Green Bay, Wisconsin, which was responsible for the foundations, concrete work, and superstructure, 1 6 alongside the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company, handling the steelwork. 6 Originally slated for completion in August, modifications were made due to Detroit voters’ decision to lay streetcar tracks on the surface. 2
During construction, 6,366 piles averaging 40 to 50 feet in length were driven 75 feet below the water’s surface to support the 20 piers. 6 These foundations comprised 7,300 cubic yards of concrete and 594,000 pounds of reinforcing steel. The superstructure, upheld by eight steel ribs, included 3,018 tons of structural steel and 20,000 cubic yards of concrete, spanning 2,193 feet in length with a width of 87 feet and a roadway width of 59 feet.
Additionally, the project encompassed a grade separation of Jefferson Avenue over East Grand Boulevard, completed on February 21, 1921, at a cost of $467,000. 6
In 1984-85, the City of Detroit significantly rehabilitated the bridge, costing $11.4 million. 2 7 This involved repairs to the arches, installing a new roadway deck and surface, and adding concrete barriers between the roadway and sidewalk. Further renovations were carried out in 1998.
Gallery
Information
- State: Michigan
- Route: East Grand Boulevard
- Type: Open Spandrel Arch
- Status: Active - Automobile
- Total Length: 2,311' (1889); 2,628' (1897); 2,193' (1923)
- Main Span Length: 318' (1889); 134.8' (1923)
- Spans: 153.8', 156'×11, 92.2', 88'×4 (1889)
- Deck Width: 44' (1889); 87' (1923)
- Roadway Width: 26' (1889); 59' (1923)
- Total Height: 37' (1923)
- Navigational Clearance: 19' (1889); 31' (1923)
Sources
- Holth, Nathan and Rick McOmber. “Belle Isle Bridge.” HistoricBridges.org.
- “Belle Isle Br. / Detroit River.” Michigan Department of Transportation.
- “Belle Isle Bridge, Aflame From Draw to Island, Dies in Shroud of Black Smoke.” Detroit Free Press, 28 Apr. 1915, pp. 1-6.
- “On the Bridge.” Detroit Free Press, 13 May 1889, p. 4.
- “Ready and Not Ready.” Detroit Free Press, 8 Sept. 1897, p. 5.
- “New Belle Isle Bridge to be Opened Thursday.” Detroit Free Press, 31 Oct. 1923, pp. 1-15.
- Rosenberg, Ira. “Paving the way to Belle Isle.” Detroit Free Press, 8 Aug. 1984, p. 12D.