M-28 – Sand River Bridge
Encyclopedia
The M-28 – Sand River Bridge is a bridge located on M-28
over the Sand River
in Onota Township, Michigan
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
over the Sand River. The Alpine Excavating Company of St. Ignace, Michigan
, was awarded the construction contract, and soon began work on the substructural excavation. On June 16, 1939, a surge of water from Lake Superior
flooded the abutment cofferdams, and extensive repairs had to be made. However, the bridge was completed later that year, and has carried traffic since. A later route change redesignated the roadway as part of M-28.
M-28 (Michigan highway)
M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...
over the Sand River
Sand River (Michigan)
-References:*...
in Onota Township, Michigan
Onota Township, Michigan
Onota Township is a civil township of Alger County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 310.-Communities:There are no incorporated municipalities in the township....
. 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
The M-28 – Sand River Bridge was designed by the Michigan State Highway Department in 1939 to carry what was then M-94M-94 (Michigan highway)
M-94 is a state trunkline in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for from K. I. Sawyer to Manistique. The highway is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour during a concurrency with M-28. M-94 crosses the Siphon Bridge in Manistique, unique for the fact that the bridge roadway...
over the Sand River. The Alpine Excavating Company of St. Ignace, Michigan
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
, was awarded the construction contract, and soon began work on the substructural excavation. On June 16, 1939, a surge of water from Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
flooded the abutment cofferdams, and extensive repairs had to be made. However, the bridge was completed later that year, and has carried traffic since. A later route change redesignated the roadway as part of M-28.
Description
The bridge carrying M-28 over the Sand River is a medium-span concrete bridge 56 feet (17.1 m) long and 40.4 feet (12.3 m) wide supported by concrete abutments. The span has a shallow arch, 4 feet (1.2 m) thick at the abutments and 1 in 8 in (0.508 m) at the center of the span. It has a so-called rigid-frame construction, which was a new development by the highway department at the time the bridge was built. The bridge has concrete and steel guardrails and horizontal Art Moderne scoring on the sidewalls of the abutments. Despite its age, the bridge remains in excellent condition.External links
- photos and description from HistoricBridges.org