The Lower Channel Bridges

The Lower Channel Bridges. . , 1859-1864 Bridge #1 , Built wide enough for two pedestrians to pass, this wooden structure was four feet across and two feet above the water, with removable planks in the middle. If someone wasn't nearby to help, those in a boat reached up, moved the planks aside, went through, turned around, and pulled them back into place. Animal-drawn wagons passed through the shallow water beside the bridge. The road sweeping up the hill at right is today's US-31. , , 1864-1877 Bridge #2 , The first drawbridge and second all-wood bridge, placed sixteen feet above the water, had only one lift (seen here) on the south bank. This changed in 1869 to two lifts, both hoisted by a rope, pulley, and manpowered winch apparatus. The two-lift bridge spanned a 24-foot draw, less than a third of today's distance. It was half-demolished by a schooner in fall of 1877, and Charlevoix was bridge-less for the next eight months. , , 1878-1901 Bridge #3 , This metal bridge with a plank roadbed, Charlevoix's first swing bridge, sat precisely in the middle of the channel and pivoted in both directions. It sat on a turntable supported by a circle of metal pilings protected by an island of wood timbers. The bridge was turned manually by means of a 16-foot long key holding a 4-foot steel peg whose tip was inserted into a hole in the roadbed above a worm-gear mechanism. , , Bridge #4 1901-1947 , The second swing bridge was likewise metal with a plank roadbed. A wider channel was needed to accommodate larger lake vessels, so this bold span displayed an off-center profile after the channel was widened by twenty feet. The turning mechanism was quickly converted from manual to steam power because of vastly increased demand. The bridge was scheduled for replacement in 1941, but the onset of World War II delayed that from happening by six years. , , Bridge #5 1947-1949 , Charlevoix's third swing bridge lasted only twenty-two months during the demolition of bridge #4 and the construction of bridge #6. This temporary structure, at the far east neck of the channel, rode on a rectangular pontoon out of which water was pumped so the bridge could rise, then the whole structure, pontoon included, swung out into Round Lake. A complete opening and closing would sometimes take up to half an hour. , , Bridge #6 completed 1949 , This span, called the "Memorial Bridge," was constructed for slightly under $1 million and opened in June of 1949. A plaque mounted on the southwest concrete railing reads "Dedicated To Those Heroes of Charlevoix and Vicinity Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in World War II." The bridge opens and closes on average just over 3,500 times per year. At times, this has caused traffic to back up to the city limits on both sides of town.