Grand River Bridge

Grand River Bridge. . , This sign marks the location of the original Grand River Avenue Bridge traversing what was formerly the Pere Marquette Railway line. The bridge, built by the Michigan State Highway Department (now the Michigan Department of Transportation), took 14 months to construct, with work beginning in October 1924. The bridge was part of U.S. Route 16, which ran from Detroit to Grand Haven. Jurisdiction of the road and bridge was transferred to the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) after the construction of the I-96 expressway. , , The bridge was constructed in part by the State Force Account Program, which involved the use of state prison inmates as laborers. Approximately 700 inmates worked on state highway projects during the construction season of 1925-1926. Two men died during the construction of the Grand River bridge. , , The bridge was a three-span, reinforced "camelback" girder structure, supported by four piers. It measured 146 feet, nine inches long and 48 feet wide. The original bridge has a 30-foot roadway with 6-foot sidewalks on each side. It included pedestrian stairways down to the Novi train station, located adjacent to the bridge. At the time, the station saw considerable passenger rail service. , , RCOC replaced the bridge in 2003 because of the deteriorated condition of the original structure. The new bridge retains the distinction of having the longest span of an RCOC-owned bridge in Oakland County. , , Sign erected in 2003 by the Road Commission for Oakland County , Richard G. Skarritt, Chairman , Rudy D. Lozano, Vice-Chairman , Larry P. Crake, Commissioner , Brent O. Bair, Managing Director , Gerald M. Holmberg, PE, Deputy Managing Director/County Highway Engineer.