1913+1927,1984 Dix Avenue Bridges over River Rouge at Detroit, MI

1913: (Bridge Hunter)

1927: (Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

"With the demolition of the Fort Street Bridge, this bridge will be the last of its type in Detroit, and indeed all of Michigan. The only other highway truss bascule bridge in Michigan is the nearby Jefferson Avenue Bridge, which is a pony truss rather than a deck truss." [HistoricBridges]

HAER MICH,82-DETRO,49--9, cropped
9. Photograph of a Photograph (original negative location unknown), photographed by Smith Brothers Commercial Photographers on August 30, 1927 VIEW SOUTHEAST, SHOWING UPSTREAM SIDE OF BRIDGE IN OPEN POSITION - Dix Bascule Bridge, Spanning Rouge River at Dix Avenue, Detroit, Wayne County, MI

Significance: The Dix Bascule Bridge is the newest of three double-leaf trunnion drawbridges constructed over the Rouge River in the 1920's. It is important in local history for its relation to the economic development of the Detroit area. This drawbridge allows Great Lake ore boats to supply steel mills and foundries, specifically the Ford Motor Company's River Rouge complex to which it is adjacent. It is a simple trunnion bascule and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. An important feature of this bridge is its beautiful balustrade approach railings which must be replaced because of their structural inadequacy. [HAER-data]

HAER MICH,82-DETRO,49--12
12. Photograph of original contract drawing A313 showing details of the Balustrade Railing on the Northeast Wall of the Dix Avenue Bridge

 

Andrew Dean Detroit posted
A shot of Lee A. Tregurtha heading up the Rouge River to Cliffs Dearborn. At 826 feet Lee is the longest freighter to traverse the Rouge. 

The 1913 bridge was replaced because the Rouge River was turned into a 300' wide and 22' deep navigation channel. The War Department ordered that the 100' clear span be replaced by a 125' clear span. And traffic requirements required that the two-lane bridge be replaced with a four-lane bridge. [HAER-data]

BridgeHunter-1913
Photo taken by The Strauss Bascule Bridge Company
Cleveland State University Library Photograph Collection Dix Avenue Bridge Detroit MI
License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

Once again, an HAER report makes it way too hard to find the date of when it was written. The HAER report was evidently written before the 1984 rehabilitation. The replacement of the balustrade railing explains why the report has two detailed photos of the railings. In fact, the rehabilitation might be the reason the report was commissioned. At least they preserved the historical integrity of the trusses and control towers.

HAER MICH,82-DETRO,49--3

The original balustrade was made with Indiana Bedford Limestone. The existing concrete railing was considered a decent compromise of compling with AASHTO strength and safety requirements while retaining the see-through feature of the original design. [HAER-data]

Street View

The gasometer on the right shows that the Ford steel plant used to make coke. We can still see the concrete pad for this gas holder on a satellite image. And I presume that at least some of those smokestacks in the background were for open hearth furnaces. They have been replaced by the BOF that is in the background of the photo below that was taken from the Herbert C. Jackson.

HAER MICH,82-DETRO,49--5
5. ViEW NORTHWEST, SHOWING CONTROL TOWER ON; SOUTH SIDE OF BRIDGE

Many ore, coal and limestone freighters would have passed under this bridge.

3D Satellite

In fact, the Herbert C. Jackson has delivered some ore.

1 of 10 photos posted by Andrew Dean Detroit
Pulling out of Cliffs in the background, passing through Dix Avenue Bridge.

Bill Mercer posted
4:45pm, Dix Avenue from a couple of thousand feet. Barker or Jackson, I'm not sure. But certainly a unique prospective. Ben says it's the Kaye Barker.

1 of 5 photos posted by Andrew Dean Detroit
Honorable James L. Oberstar- coming in at 806 feet, the Oberstar is one of the longer vessels that commonly traverses the Rouge River.
 With the ability to discharge her cargo at 6,000 tons per hour, the Oberstar can offload over 30,000 gross tons fairly fast - so she’s ready for the next run!
 There’s just something about a classic- and the James L. Oberstar is always a beautiful ship to see on the Rouge.
 Interlake Steamship Company
[This has to be the Dix Ave. Bridge, but I could not find the three smokestacks on the right nor the two pipes on the left. Even in a Sep 2023 street view. So I'm very confused.]