The New Richmond Swing Bridge, also known as The Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge, is a one lane swing bridge in Michigan. Located in Allegan County's Manlius Township, it connected 57th Street with Old Allegan Road over the Kalamazoo River until its closure to vehicular traffic. The name New Richmond comes from a former mining town in the area of the same name.
It was built in 1879 at a time when the Kalamazoo River was navigable from Lake Michigan.
The bridge's four spans reach 429 feet (131 m). A manually operated swing span was in use as late as 1925. It is one of the oldest metal truss bridges in the state of Michigan and the state's longest pony truss bridge. It is also believed to be the oldest surviving highway swing bridge in the United States.
Closed to vehicular traffic in 1997 for safety reasons, the bridge is now used for pedestrians to access parkland on both sides of the river.
On April 1, 1998, the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places as structure #98000273.
- Swing Pivot (permanently locked)
- Historical marker
Read more about New Richmond Swing Bridge: See Also
Famous quotes containing the words richmond, swing and/or bridge:
“I get a little Verlaine
for Patsy with drawings by Bonnard although I do
think of Hesiod, trans. Richmond Lattimore or
Brendan Behan’s new play or Le Balcon or Les Negres
of Genet, but I don’t, I stick with Verlaine
after practically going to sleep with quandariness”
—Frank O’Hara (1926–1966)
“The bells, I say, the bells break down their tower;
And swing I know not where.”
—Hart Crane (1899–1932)
“I see four nuns
who sit like a bridge club,
their faces poked out
from under their habits,”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)