The MacArthur Bridge is a bridge that spans the Detroit River between

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

and Belle Isle. The bridge, which features nineteen total arches across , provides main access to Belle Isle. Completed in 1923 for $2.635 million USD, it replaced an iron bridge with wooden decking that accidentally caught fire and was destroyed in 1915. The bridge, popularly known as the Belle Isle Bridge, was originally named the George Washington Bridge and later renamed the Douglas MacArthur Bridge after

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

in 1942. It was restored in 1986 at a cost of $11.5 million. In 1913, William Edmund Scripps (of the Scripps publishing family), flew a

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company (1909 – 1929) was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decade ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...

underneath the original Belle Isle Bridge. Two sets of streetcar tracks were built into the east side of the bridge but a streetcar route was never implemented. The tracks were eventually paved over in the 1950s.

Photo gallery

Image:MacArthurBridgeBelleIslesideentry.jpg, Entering Belle Isle from MacArthur Bridge Image:MacArthurBridgefromBelleIsle.jpg, View of bridge from Belle Isle.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur Bridge (Detroit) Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Bridges in Detroit Detroit River Bridges completed in 1923 Road bridges in Michigan Concrete bridges in the United States Belle Isle Park (Michigan) 1923 establishments in Michigan