US-12–Coldwater River Bridge

US-12–Coldwater River Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Old US 12 over Coldwater Bridge, Coldwater, Michigan
Coordinates	41°56′44″N 85°1′52″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1920 (1920)
Built by	Brookville Bridge Company
Architect	Michigan State Highway Department
Architectural style	Pratt pony truss
Demolished	2018
MPS	Highway Bridges of Michigan MPS
NRHP reference No.	99001609
Added to NRHP	December 22, 1999

The US-12–Coldwater River Bridge was a road bridge carrying Old US-12 over the Coldwater River in Coldwater, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

History

The US-12–Coldwater River Bridge was constructed in 1920 by the Brookville Bridge Company for the Michigan State Highway Department at a cost of about $12,000. The bridge was constructed as a trunk line bridge on what was then US-112 (and now has been re-designated US-12). In 1933, the roadway was straightened, eliminating a sharp turn at the end of the bridge, and the state constructed a new bridge nearby. Responsibility for this bridge was then turned over to the city of Coldwater.

The bridge was closed to automobile traffic in the late 1990s due to severe rust deterioration, but was open to pedestrian traffic until it was deemed unsafe and condemned on August 25, 2017. The bridge was demolished in April 2018, and will eventually be replaced with a pedestrian bridge.

Description

The bridge was a five-panel steel Pratt pony truss bridge with a 64-foot span. The superstructure was constructed of back-to-back angles and back-to-back channels, with I-beams riveted to the bottom to support the decking. The deck was concrete and 21 feet wide. A sidewalk with railings was cantilevered off one side. The substructure consisted of fieldstone abutments and wing walls capped with concrete.