The 12 Mile Road–Kalamazoo River Bridge, also known as State Reward Bridge No. 53, is a
filled-spandrel concrete
arch bridge in
Ceresco, Michigan, that carries 12 Mile Road over the
Kalamazoo River. Built in 1920, it is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
History
Plans for the bridge were developed by the
Michigan State Highway Department from standard plans. The structure was built by
Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun:
* Calhoun County, Alabama
* Calhoun County, Arkansas
* Calhoun County, Florida
* Calhoun County, Georgia
* Calhoun Count ...
in 1920 as State Reward Bridge No. 53. The contract was awarded to L. Smith, H.A. Nichols, and M.C. Nichols, of
Hastings, Michigan, for their bid of $25,175 submitted on March 11, 1920. Construction cost $35,070, half of which was paid by the state of Michigan.
The bridge was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1999. It was eligible for its historical integrity and as a good example of the filled-spandrel design.
[ The ]23 Mile Road–Kalamazoo River Bridge
The 23 Mile Road–Kalamazoo River Bridge is a curved-chord through-girder bridge in Marengo Township, Michigan, United States, that carries 23 Mile Road over the Kalamazoo River. Built in 1922, it is listed on the National Register of Historic P ...
, also in Calhoun County, was added the same day.
In July 2010, the Kalamazoo River oil spill
The Kalamazoo River oil spill occurred in July 2010 when a pipeline operated by Enbridge (Line 6B) burst and flowed into Talmadge Creek, a tributary of the Kalamazoo River. A break in the pipeline resulted in one of the largest inland oil spills ...
affected the stretch of river that the bridge crosses.
Design and location
The bridge is in the unincorporated village of Ceresco.[ A dam was previously located just upstream of the bridge, but was demolished in 2014 as part of the cleanup after the Enbridge oil spill.]barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
s trimmed by a projecting string course
A belt course, also called a string course or sill course, is a continuous row or layer of stones or brick set in a wall. Set in line with window sills, it helps to make the horizontal line of the sills visually more prominent. Set between the ...
. The bridge's parapet railings, built of solid concrete, each have ten recesses. At the corners and middle of the railings are concrete lampposts lacking fixtures. At the northwest and southeast corners are affixed bridge plates.[
]
See also
* List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Calhoun County, Michigan
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:12 Mile Road-Kalamazoo River Bridge
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Arch bridges in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Calhoun County, Michigan
Concrete bridges in the United States
Transportation buildings and structures in Calhoun County, Michigan