Maple Street Bridge

ARCHITECT: Brown Brothers of Lansing
CONSTRUCTED: 1964

Due to a population boom in the mid-1860s it was suggested that a bridge over the Manistee River Channel be constructed on Maple Street to connect both parts of town.

While early local government officials made the decision that the construction of a bridge was beyond their means, a group of local businessmen organized the Manistee Bridge Company for the goal of building and operating a bridge across the river.

In 1866 a wooden swing bridge was constructed but soon burned in the Great Fire of 1871. Two years later a new iron bridge was constructed at a cost of nearly $18,000. It had a swing portion that was 160 feet long, and a span between piers of 46 feet.

Nearly three decades later the iron bridge was deemed to be unsafe, requiring either major reconstruction or the building of a replacement bridge. In 1905, the city made the decision to go with a double leaf electric bascule bridge at a cost of $34,000.

By the late 1950s, a study discovered that the abutments of the bridge were collapsing. In 1963-64, a new Maple Street Bridge was constructed and continues to be in use today.