As the cool balmy days of spring give way to summer heat, some folks need no excuse to take full advantage of the numerous sandy shores of Michigan’s lakes and rivers.
If you grew up in Gibraltar, you are more than familiar with the well-known but disapproved (yet tolerated) practice of jumping off the Horse Island Bridge into the waters below. To Horse Island and Gibraltar residents alike, this is seen as a rite of passage.
Taken from the design concepts developed by renowned engineer and Michigan native, Daniel B. Luten, and constructed around 1925, Gibraltar’s Horse Island bridge has been a mainstay in the area for almost a century.
“This small arch bridge is actually one of the most beautiful structures with one of the most unique appearances in the state of Michigan, according to information found at HistoricBridges.org. “The bridge features a steep deck camber that follows the shape of the arch itself. The design of the bridge was selected because the land is low-lying and flat, with the bayou having no valley/depression in which to contain an arch structure that could provide a deck at the level of the surrounding roadway. There is no other known bridge in the state that follows this design. The bridge also retains near-perfect historic integrity.”
Spanning 40 feet, (12.2 meters), with a length of 46.0 feet, (14 meters), the fixed reinforced concrete structure with a roadway width of 19.7 Feet (6 meters) resembles a European footbridge rather than one constructed in Michigan in the 1920’s. Unlike its modern counterparts built thirty years ago, the Horse island bridge is still functional; though its longevity has aged it.
Even if you’ve lived in the Downriver area for years, you can’t be faulted for not knowing of the bridge’s existence and the overall value it brings to the community, says retired construction professional, Richard Fanti. He lives on Horse Island along with 80 other families.
Fanti explained the bridge’s significance and why it’s a local treasure.
“There are only a few of them (reinforced concrete-arched bridges) left in the country,” he said.
He went on to describe the arch design created and patented by Daniel Luten.
“They’re a simple design. They don’t take much to fix up. We can keep it (the bridge) in its place. It all depends on what the degree of deterioration is on it and how it would affect its rehabilitation,” he said.
Dorothy Wood, Gibraltar City Council member and operator of the Gibraltar Historical Museum, can’t imagine the community without the Horse Island Bridge.
“My husband and I have been here 50, 60 years.” She said. “This bridge is part of our city. We wouldn’t know it without that bridge.”
If the span were to be demolished, she continued: “It’s sad to say that if we ripped it out that future generations won’t even know what was here.”
Gibraltar’s Mayor Garrett Shumate recognizes the importance and relevance of the bridge to its residents.
“There is a strong community interest in rehabilitation of this bridge,” he said.
Fanti echoes this sentiment. He credits community activism and participation for showing local officials how people were taking notice.
“The community came out in droves,” he said, referring to attendance at city council meetings where the fate of the bridge was discussed. “There’s nothing like a room full of faces that council people can look at when making decisions. It’s always good to have a presence.”
Last year, the city of Gibraltar received a $2.9 million federal grant to be exclusively used for the bridge. Whether it is rehabilitated or rebuilt, the taxpayer’s participation is 5% of the overall contract and 100% of the engineering fees.
After the election, officials established the Horse Island Bridge Committee to explore the feasibility of rehabilitating the bridge. The city also created the Gibraltar Infrastructure Advisory Committee. Its purpose is to oversee and evaluate all the city’s infrastructure needs. Both committees have members from City Council and industry professionals. In the end, it’s data and expert knowledge, says Shumate, that will lead the council and the committees to do what’s best for the city and for the bridge.
During a meeting on April 18 between the two committees and Phil Rasor P.E, from Collins Engineering, the Lansing consulting firm hired by the new city council, those in attendance learned of the numerous positive preliminary attributes to rehabilitating the Horse Island bridge. Its current conditions are favorable to rehabilitation because the existing utilities wouldn’t need to be removed or replaced. The expense incurred by the taxpayer would be less. The life of the bridge could be extended 30-50 years. Finally, the width of the bridge and road would remain the same.
As a result of these findings, Collins Engineering was directed to ascertain the testing costs. These are to be reported to the committees and to then be recommended to council.
The firm responded in kind, saying this could take between 7-10 business days on the estimate and work scope outline.
Information about the ongoing future of the Horse island Bridge can be found at the Save The Horse Island Bridge page on Facebook.
