The Grosse Ile Toll Bridge is a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

that crosses the Trenton Channel of the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detroi ...

connecting

Grosse Ile Township, Michigan Grosse Ile Township is a civil township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,777 at the 2020 census. The township encompasses several islands in the Detroit River, of which the largest is named as Grosse Ile. N ...

to the mainland in

Riverview, Michigan Riverview is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,486 at the 2010 census. Riverview is a suburb of Metro Detroit about south of the southern border of Detroit along the Detroit River. Riverview was incor ...

which is located in

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The co ...

History

The Grosse Ile Toll Bridge was financed, designed and constructed between 1912 and 1913 by the Grosse Ile Bridge Company (GIBC). GIBC was established as a Michigan corporation and bridge company on May 1, 1912, with Grosse Ile land owner Edward W. Voigt as its primary incorporator, majority stockholder and founding president. Voigt directed the construction of the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge and opened the span to the general public on November 27, 1913 (Thanksgiving Day). The Toll Bridge was the first automobile bridge to the island. Voigt was a German immigrant who became a prominent Detroit-area businessman and entrepreneur. He possessed the majority of the land (approximately 400 acres) on the north end of Grosse Ile, where he owned and maintained the Island Home Stock Farm. Voigt established the GIBC to make it faster and easier to transport his draft horses to and from his farm, as well as to open the island to automobiles. Because Grosse Ile (part of Monguagon Township at the time) had a population of less than 1,000 in 1913, and because Wayne County had no interest in building an automobile bridge on the north end of the island, local residents supported Voight's plan to build the bridge. Aerial view of Grosse Ile Toll Bridge in 1969

Aerial view of Grosse Ile Toll Bridge in 1969

Since 1913, the GIBC has renovated and expanded the Toll Bridge. It also performed major repairs to the bridge after freighters struck a large section of the span in 1965 and again in 1992. The GIBC replaced the bridge deck in 1986, built a new central swing bearing in 1994, and opened a toll plaza in Riverview in 2004. Funding for the improvements and normal maintenance of the bridge is generated from the user fee toll charged by the GIBC. The one-way toll for crossing the bridge is $2.50 (if cash is used), or $2.00 (if a "Bridge Pass" is used). The GIBC has received numerous awards praising its maintenance projects for the Toll Bridge from Michigan-based and national infrastructure and engineering organizations such as the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, American Consulting Engineers Council, and Consulting Engineers Council of Michigan. Stewardship for the Toll Bridge and ownership of the GIBC has passed from Voigt to his descendants. The current president and owner of the GIBC is Paul J. Smoke, Voigt's great-grandson.

Tolls

The Grosse Ile Toll Bridge tolls are based on number of axles. Two-axle cars pay a toll of $5.00 cash, $7.00 credit, or $4.00 if they use Bridge Pass tag. Grosse Ile Bridge One-way Crossing User Fee Toll Fares http://grosseilebridge.com/user-fee-toll-rates/

References

*
Michigan Department of Transportation
* Karmazin, Nancy G., "Quick History of Grosse Ile", 1999.

External links

Grosse Ile Bridge Company
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Grosse Ile Toll Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry , upstream signs = , downstream =

Wayne County Bridge The Wayne County Bridge is a swing bridge that crosses the Trenton Channel in the Detroit River. Located in Wayne County, Michigan, it connects Grosse Ile Township to mainland Trenton and is one of two bridges connecting the island of Grosse ...

, downstream signs = Detroit River Toll bridges in Michigan Bridges completed in 1913 Swing bridges in the United States Bridges in Wayne County, Michigan Road bridges in Michigan 1913 establishments in Michigan