Fifty-Seventh Street Bridge

Spanning the Kalamazoo River, this 422-foot bridge is one of Michigan´s longest pony truss highway bridges, and among the oldest survivng swing bridges in the United States. The Milwaukee Bridge and Iron Company fabricated the $5,000 structure, which has four primary and eight short approach spans, to serve traffic on Fifty-Seventh Street near New Richmond. Of the four primary Warren pony truss spans, three date from 1879 (including an 89-foot long swing span) and one from 1899. To allow boats to pass, a bridge tender rotated open the swing span. The bridge was closed to motor vehicles in 1997 and rehabilitated for use by pedestrians in 2003. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.