South Pointe Drive – Frenchman's Creek Bridge

South Pointe Drive – Frenchman's Creek Bridge
Location: South Pointe Dr. over Frenchman's Creek, Grosse Ile, Michigan
Area: 0.9 acres (0.36 ha)
Built: 1939
Architect: Wayne County Road Commission
Architectural style: T-beam
Governing body: Local
MPS: Highway Bridges of Michigan MPS
NRHP Reference#: 00000117[1]
Added to NRHP: February 18, 2000

The South Pointe Drive – Frenchman's Creek Bridge is a bridge located on South Pointe Drive over Frenchman's Creek in Grosse Ile, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[1]

History

In the mid-1930s, the Wayne County Road Commission took ownership of a timber trestle bridge spanning Frenchman's Creek.[2] The commission planned to replace the deck planking of the bridge, but a preliminary inspection showed that the entire structure was substantially weakened due to dry rot, and an immediate replacement was required.[2] Being short of funds, the road commission tapped the labor force of the Works Progress Administration.

The bridge designed is a concrete T-beam with 40-foot span.[2] Wood forms from another WPA project were used to shape the deck, and the construction of the new bridge was completed in 1939.[2] The original bridge had a decorative balustrade along each side.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  2. ^ a b c d e "S. Pointe Dr. / Swan Island Canal Bridge". Michigan Department of Transportation. http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9620_11154_11188-29278--,00.html. Retrieved September 6, 2010.