Historic Bridges of the U.S. | Military Street Bascule Bridge

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Photos

West Elevation, Looking Southeast

The vertical truss appears to be a component of this bridge, but is an optical illusion. It is not a component of this bridge but is a railroad bridge downriver.

Photo taken by Carla Anderson, June 1990, for HAER

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East Elevation, Looking West

Photo taken by Carla Anderson, June 1990, for HAER

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View North Across Deck

Photo taken by Carla Anderson, June 1990, for HAER

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View South, Across Deck

Photo taken by Carla Anderson, June 1990, for HAER

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East Sidewalk and Deck

Photo taken by Carla Anderson, June 1990, for HAER

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Facts

Overview: Lost Bascule Bridge over Black River on I-94/I-69 Business Loop in Port Huron
Location: Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan
Status: Replaced by new bridge
History: Built 1012-13; Replaced 1991
Builders: - Detroit Steel & Bridge Co.
- McKenzie Bridge Co.
- Osborne Engineering Co. (Engineer)
- Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. (Engineer)
Design: "The Military Street Bridge is [was] the oldest surviving bascule highway bridge in Michigan and is an excellent example of the underneath counterweight trunnion design developed by Jospeh B. Strauss, an important twentieth century American bridge engineer.

"The Military Street Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge of the Strauss trunion type, with counterweights and the operating machinery located beneath the deck.

"Each leaf consists of three parallel steel girders, placed 13 feet apart, center to center, surrounded by a steel framework, 65 feet wide and 54 feet long, which in turn, supports the roadway and sidewalks."

--Dr. Charles K. Hyde, Department of History
Wayne State University
for Federal Highway Administration, Michigan DOT and HAER
June 1990
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 54 ft.
Total length: 108 ft.
Deck width: 65 ft.
Also called: I-94/I-69 Business Loop Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +42.97556, -82.42417 (decimal degrees)
42°58'32" N, 82°25'27" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 17/383871/4759084 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Port Huron
Inventory number: BH 37124 (Bridgehunter.com ID)