Wayne County (free) Bridge, Grosse Ile, MI
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S5280ft
N 42° 07.641 W 083° 10.364
17T E 320414 N 4666200
The southern bridge that connects the mainland of Michigan to the largest island in the Detroit River.
Waymark Code: WM13X1
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 01/06/2007
Views: 77
From WIKIPEDIA.COM:
During 1931, Wayne County converted the Michigan Central Railroad's defunct rail bridge crossing the Trenton Channel into the Wayne County Bridge for use by vehicular, bike and pedestrian traffic. Canada Southern Bridge Company, a subsidiary of the Canada Southern Railroad Company, built the rail bridge in 1873. A number of the original support piers and other parts of the bridge served as the foundation for the Wayne County Bridge.
The rail tracks across the island were replaced by a roadway that is now known as Grosse Ile Parkway. The Wayne County Bridge is commonly called the "Free Bridge" by Grosse Ile residents because of the absence of a user fee toll for crossing (although the bridge is not truly "free" to citizens given it is supported by taxpayers' money).
Today, about three-quarters of the vehicle traffic going to and from Grosse Ile travels over the Wayne County Bridge while one-quarter crosses the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge.
Wayne County has announced that the bridge will be closed twenty-four hours a day starting in April 2007 for at least six months to enable the replacement of the bridge deck and related major repairs. The county replaced this same bridge deck in 1979 and the bridge was only closed during day light hours for the work to be done. During the closure in 2007, the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge will be the only way for vehicles to travel to and from the island.
Bridge Type: Swing Bridge
Built: 07/01/1873
Pedestrian Traffic: no
Bicycle Traffic: no
Vehicular Traffic: yes
Railway Traffic: no
Span: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the bridge and record the exact coordinates where the picture was taken.