The Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge is a bridge located on
M-204 over
Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau ( ) lies in the Leelanau Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The entire lake—which includes two bodies of water, usually referred to as ''North Lake Leelanau'' and ''South Lake Leelanau''—covers about and lies within ...
Narrows in
Leland Township, Michigan. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2000.
History
Lake Leelanau was a major impediment to east-west travel since this area was first settled in the mid-1800s.
A wooden bridge was erected over the narrows in 1864; a replacement metal truss bridge was constructed in 1894–1895. In 1939, the
Michigan State Highway Department
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate ...
decided to replace the aging truss bridge to help support the local tourist economy. They built this new bridge about 200 yards north. The bridge project was part of the
Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, which provided jobs in the
Great Depression through funding public infrastructure projects.
Description
The Lake Leelanau Narrows Bridge is a three-span structure crossing the narrowest part of the Lake Leelanau.
Each span is long and consists of nine rolled steel beams, sitting on concrete mid-stream piers and skewed end abutments. The base of each pier are formed into pointed cutwaters at each end. Four posts on each pier support the bridge, with the exterior post ending with a graceful
Streamline Moderne curve. A similar curve is apparent on the concrete railing posts above. The deck of the bridge is wide, with sidewalks on each side of the roadway.
See also
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References
External links
Photosat Historic Bridges
{{National Register of Historic Places listings in Leelanau County, Michigan
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Infrastructure completed in 1939
Buildings and structures in Leelanau County, Michigan
National Register of Historic Places in Leelanau County, Michigan
Steel bridges in the United States