New Richmond Swing Bridge
Encyclopedia
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.
It was built in 1879 at a time when the Kalamazoo River was navigable from Lake Michigan
.
The bridge's four spans reach 429 feet. A manually operated swing span was in use as late as 1925. It is one of the oldest metal truss bridges in the state of Michigan and the state's longest pony truss bridge. It is also believed to be the oldest surviving highway swing bridge in the United States.
Closed to vehicular traffic in 1997 for safety reasons, the bridge is now used for pedestrians to access parkland on both sides of the river.
On April 1, 1998, the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as structure #98000273.
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Located in Allegan County's
Allegan County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-196* I-196 Business Loop serves the city of Holland.-US highways:* US-31* US-131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-40* M-89* M-179* M-222-Allegan County Intercounty Highways:* A-2* A-37* A-42* A-45-Demographics:...
Manlius Township
Manlius Township, Michigan
Manlius Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,634 at the 2000 census.-Communities:* The city of Fennville is at the southwest corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous....
, it connected 57th Street with Old Allegan Road over the Kalamazoo River
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...
until its closure to vehicular traffic. The name New Richmond comes from a former mining town in the area of the same name.
It was built in 1879 at a time when the Kalamazoo River was navigable from Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
.
The bridge's four spans reach 429 feet. A manually operated swing span was in use as late as 1925. It is one of the oldest metal truss bridges in the state of Michigan and the state's longest pony truss bridge. It is also believed to be the oldest surviving highway swing bridge in the United States.
Closed to vehicular traffic in 1997 for safety reasons, the bridge is now used for pedestrians to access parkland on both sides of the river.
On April 1, 1998, the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as structure #98000273.