Detroit, MI
The old Detroit Belle Isle Bridge, a steel-and-wood structure opened June 25, 1889. It was a swing bridge, with a section that opened up parallel to the river in order to let boats pass. It burned April 27, 1915.
A temporary bridge opened a year after the fire, in July 1916, just west of the old bridge. It was known for its noisy wooden plank roadway. This structure remained in service until Nov. 1, 1923, when the permanent, current bridge opened.
The design by Emil Lorch called for a concrete-and-steel structure 3,500 feet long, including approaches, with 19 spans and 30 feet of headroom for boats.
Today, that span is officially the Douglas MacArthur Bridge, but most people just call it the “Belle Isle Bridge.”
