National Register of Historic Places

County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge

Wells Township, Marquette County, Michigan
Listed
December 17, 1999
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
99001529

About this property

The County Road 557–West Branch Escanaba River Bridge is a bridge located on County Road 557 as it passes over the West Branch of the Escanaba River in Wells Township in Marquette County, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 1928, the Michigan State Highway Department determined a bridge was necessary in this location. In March, the department awarded a construction contract to the P.J. Nickel Company of Ironwood, Michigan, valued at $20,016.19. Nickel used a steel superstructure fabricated by the Massillon Bridge and Structural Company of Massillon, Ohio, to finish the bridge. The bridge construction is significant because it was one of the first truly long single-span bridges constructed in the state. Recent (at the time) improvements in I-beam fabrication allowed the construction of steel stringer bridges of extended length. Since construction, the bridge has been essentially unaltered. The County Road 557–West Branch Escanaba River Bridge is 75 feet (23 m) in length with a roadway width of 30.1 feet (9.2 m) and a complete structure width of 35.5 feet (10.8 m). The structure is a steel stringer bridge, constructed of rolled I-beams supported simply by straight-walled concrete abutments on each side of the river. The outside of the stringers are encased in concrete, giving the bridge the appearance af an all-concrete construction. The deck is concrete, resurfaced with asphalt. Guardrails with fluted balusters and paneled bulkheads run along each side of the bridge. National Register of Historic Places listings in Marquette County, Michigan

Location

Wells Township, Marquette County, Michigan
46.14662, -87.46265

Categories

ENGINEERING
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Gwinn Model Town Historic District
Listed
9.6 mi
King Road-Whitefish River Bridge
Civil War
19.4 mi
County Road I-39-Rapid River Bridge
Industrial
24.7 mi
Mikulich General Store
Civil War
24.9 mi
Negaunee Fire Station
Modern
25.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge listed on the National Register?

County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1999.

What type of historic resource is County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge?

County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge?

The period of significance for County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near County Road 557-West Branch Escanaba River Bridge?

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