Grand River Bridges

Grand River Bridges. . , Grand Rapids is a city divided by the Grand River. In its earliest days, settlers crossed the river in small boats or canoes, or on frozen ice during the winter and temporary foot bridges in the summer., The need to tie the city together led to three distinct periods of bridge building. During the first period, construction and operation were private undertakings. By the 1850’s, covered wooden toll bridges had been built at Bridge, Pearl, and Leonard Streets., The coming of the railroad created the need for additional bridges. The first railroad bridge built north of Leonard Street in 1858, was followed by several others in the next three decades., The second phase of street bridge building began in the 1880’s when the city assumed responsibility for building and operating bridges free of charge. The old wooden toll bridges were replaced with wrought iron structures built at Leonard, Fulton, Pearl, Sixth, and Bridge streets. Of these, only the Sixth Street Bridge remains, now a designated historic landmark., In the third bridge-building phase, during the early 1900’s, modern bridges made of reinforced concrete were placed at Wealthy, Bridge, Ann, Leonard, Pearl and Fulton., Today, seven street bridges, two pedestrian walkways, three expressway bridges, and three railroad bridges span the Grand River in Grand Rapids. The two pedestrian walkways have been adapted to their present use. The one on which you are standing was originally built for trolley cars, and, to the south, a former railroad bridge has been renovated by Grand Valley State University for pedestrian use.