Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge
About this property
The Mackinac Trail–Carp River Bridge is a bridge located on H-63 (Mackinac Trail) over the Carp River in St. Ignace Township, Michigan. It is the oldest bridge in Mackinac County, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 1913, road improvement began on the Mackinac Trail a state trunkline highway connecting St. Ignace and Sault Ste. Marie. The improvement project included both grading the road surface and upgrading the bridges along the roadway. For one of these bridges, which carried the Mackinac Trail over the Carp River, the Michigan State Highway Department designed a 60-foot (18 m) concrete arch bridge in 1919. The department awarded the contract to construct the bridge to A. S. Decker of Flint, Michigan, who completed work on the bridge in 1920. This section of the Mackinac Trail was later incorporated into U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) increasing the traffic flow across the bridge. In response, in 1929–30, new guardrails were added to the bridge, the deck was widened by five feet (1.5 m), and new approaches of decorative cobblestone were constructed. The section of US 2 was later replaced by Interstate 75, and the Mackinac Trail was redesignated as a county road, later numbered H-63. In 2009, the bridge was considered for demolition. However, it was decided in 2010 to refurbish the bridge instead. Weakened concrete was replaced, drains installed, and the roadway was widened by another five feet (1.5 m). The Mackinac Trail–Carp River Bridge still carries local traffic. The Mackinac Trail–Carp River Bridge is an arch bridge, 60 feet (18 m) in length, with a roadway width of 27 feet (8.2 m). The arch sits on large concrete abutments with angled wingwalls. The roadway approaches are flanked with cobblestone retaining walls. The original guardrail was removed during the 1929–30 road widening and replaced with ornamental steel rails with concrete bulkheads. This rail design, although called a "standard" design, appears to be unique among surviving bridges in Michigan. The Mackinac Trail–Carp River Bridge is one of the few remaining arch bridges constructed by the Michigan State Highway Department during its early period of design and construction. List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places listings in Mackinac County, Michigan
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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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Questions about this property
When was Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge listed on the National Register?
Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1999.
What type of historic resource is Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge?
Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge?
The period of significance for Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Mackinac Trail-Carp River Bridge will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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