Mason Road - Thornapple River Bridge

I'm thinking this is pinned in the wrong place, though so too is its entry on BridgeReports, because the county probably has it mis-labeled.

They have it as crossing Thornapple "Creek", but looking at both the satellite and old aerials of the location...neither shows a bridge. Go up the road to where it's clearly the Thornapple RIVER, on the other hand...

As there is only one entry for Mason Road at all, it's probably the river crossing at 42.617415,-85.05434. 1955 easily gives the best image there.

I just want to commend Melissa for the outstanding job that she is doing adding all of these long lost spans that we might otherwise have never known existed!

I also want to remind us all how much things change over the course of 40 or 50 years... Or more. Road names and alignments change, and I have seen old roads virtually disappear. And even more important is just how inaccurate these newspaper articles can be about the where; when; and how. It is our jobs to help add to this information and change things when we have solid details that prove something as incorrect. People that live in a particular state that she has added to might have a better perspective about a bridge's former location or history. But I would ask us all not to be critical of the work she is doing because I know that she is doing her best. It takes a special skill to glean through old newspapers for hours and not go cross-eyed... A talent I do not possess!

Keep up the good work Melissa!

Thanks Mike. I couldn't find any information on a replacement prior to 1989. But I'll keep looking...

Hmmm. Per the NBI, this location's replacement wasn't built until 1989, which I'd be a bit skeptical of at first if only for the fact that this was closed for two years in the mid-50s, as the article says.

Then again...it also gives an ADT of only 80 for the road back in 1991, and that's only up to 727 today. So, given the low traffic volumes - maybe this did survive that long past the 50s?

Thanks Tony!