The Liberty Bridge is a bascule-type

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

located in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metropol ...

, United States. It spans the

Saginaw River The Saginaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is formed by the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Sh ...

and connects Vermont Street (on the west side of the river) and Woodside Avenue (on the east side). It was built in 1986. In 2023 a toll will be charged for most vehicles.

History

Bay County past and present (1918) (14593126068)

The Liberty Bridge was built to replace the Third Street Bridge, a small

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 ...

located just south of the Liberty Bridge connecting Midland and Third Streets. The Third Street Bridge was the first bridge built across the Saginaw River in Bay City. It was originally built as a wooden bridge in 1864 by the Bay City Bridge Company. Its superstructure was reconstructed with iron and steel in 1872. On June 18, 1976, the swing span of the Third Street Bridge collapsed as it was being opened, forcing the bridge out of service permanently. It had been struck by a vessel the evening before. A debate ensued on where to build a replacement bridge. In order to receive federal funding, the new bridge was required to have four lanes. A four-lane bridge at the same site would have necessitated the demolition of some historic buildings. As a result, the Liberty Bridge was built just north of the old bridge site, connecting Woodside Avenue and Vermont Street. File:Liberty Bridge (Bay City, Michigan) opened for tall ships in 2010.jpg, Liberty Bridge opened for

tall ship A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or fe ...

s in 2010 File:Third Street Waterfall Park.jpg, The Third Street Waterfall Park today marks the location of the former Third Street Bridge

References

External links

Bridge schedule

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Liberty Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Veterans Memorial Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream =

Independence Bridge The Independence Bridge is a bascule-type drawbridge located in Bay City, Michigan. It carries Truman Parkway over the Saginaw River The Saginaw River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe ...

, downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1986 Bascule bridges in the United States Towers in Michigan Buildings and structures in Bay County, Michigan Transportation in Bay County, Michigan Bay City, Michigan Road bridges in Michigan Saginaw River Metal bridges in the United States