State Street Bridge

Photos

The South Face

This was the first bascule bridge in Milwaukee. Some say it was the first bascule bridge anywhere. It wasn't, in fact, the Grand Avenue (now Wisconsin Avenue) bascule bridge predated it by two decades. The State Street Bridge, however, is the oldest surviving example of the Milwaukee Type Bascule Bridge.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in June 2008

BH Photo #116229

Map

Map Links

Street View

Facts

Overview: Bascule bridge over Milwaukee River on State Street (Westbound US 18) in Milwaukee
Location: Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1924; Restored 2007
Builders: - Edward E. Gillen Co.
- Milwaukee Bridge Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Design: Bascule
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 119.1 ft.
Total length: 271.0 ft.
Deck width: 41.0 ft.
Recognition: Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude: +43.04300, -87.91350 (decimal degrees)
43°02'35" N, 87°54'49" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 16/425593/4765994 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:: Milwaukee
Average daily traffic (as of 2014): 5,950
Inventory number: BH 34862 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of May 2016): Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 64.7 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Update Log

January 28, 2016: New Street View added by Douglas Butler
April 19, 2010: New photos from J.R. Manning
June 30, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning

Sources

J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
Wisconsin DOT responds to call for historic preservation - Sean Ryan writes about Milwaukee's movable bridges for "The Daily Reporter."
State Street Bascule Bridge Historic Designation Study Report
Douglas Butler