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Dix Bascule Bridge

Wayne County, Michigan

Photos 

Rouge River Bridge

Detroit MI

Photo taken by Douglas Butler in April 2013

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BH Photo #271166

Map 

Street View 

Description 

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.

-- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts 

Overview
Bascule bridge over Rouge River on Dix Road in Dearborn
Location
Wayne County, Michigan
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1927; rehabilitated 1989
Builder
- Hugh E. Young of Chicago, Illinois
Design
Bascule
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 164.1 ft.
Total length: 221.8 ft.
Deck width: 56.1 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.29667, -83.15056   (decimal degrees)
42°17'48" N, 83°09'02" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/322721/4684955 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Dearborn
Average daily traffic (as of 1996)
11,218
Inventory numbers
MINBI 82200210000B010 (Michigan bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory 2010 and before)
MINEW 12229 (Michigan bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory 2011 and later)
BH 20292 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of June 2017)
Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 73.4 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

Bascule (1,060)
Built 1927 (861)
Built during 1920s (9,922)
Concrete balustrade (841)
Fixed Trunnion Bascule (39)
HAER documented (1,106)
Have street view (26,946)
Hugh E. Young (3)
 Michigan (1,125)
Movable (2,969)
Navigable waterway (2,152)
Open (39,882)
Owned by county (20,783)
Span length 125-175 feet (4,220)
Total length 175-250 feet (4,265)
Wayne County, Michigan (84)

Update Log 

  • October 12, 2018: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • September 6, 2015: HAER photos posted by Luke
  • March 17, 2015: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 25, 2013: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 22, 2013: New Street View added by J.P.

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • HAER MI-32 - Dix Bascule Bridge, Spanning Rouge River at Dix Avenue, Detroit, Wayne County, MI
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Douglas Butler

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