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

Wells Township, Marquette County, Michigan

Wells Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 292.-Communities:...

 in Marquette County, Michigan. It was listed on 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...

 in 1999.

History

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

Ironwood, Michigan

Ironwood is a city in Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan, about south of Lake Superior. The population was 6,293 at the 2000 census. The city is on US 2 and is situated opposite the Montreal River from Hurley, Wisconsin. It is the westernmost city in Michigan, situated on the same line...

, Michigan, valued at $20,016.19. Nickel used a steel superstructure fabricated by the Massillon Bridge and Structural Company of Massillon

Massillon, Ohio

Massillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....

, 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.

Description

The County Road 557–West Branch Escanaba River Bridge is 75 feet (22.9 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.