In the 1910s, a system of three trunk line roads was constructed in Alger County.[2] One of these roads ran from Trenary to Skandia. By the end of the decade, this road was nearly complete; the last link was the construction of a bridge over the Whitefish River. In 1919, the Michigan State Highway Department engineers designed what was designated as Trunk Line Bridge Number 264, based on a standard design that the agency had developed in 1913–14.[2]
The agency awarded the contract to construct the bridge to Samuel Mills of Escanaba. Mills built the bridge in 1919 for $1,688.25. The trunk line, including this bridge, was later incorporated into US 41. Later still, the highway was re-aligned, and a new bridge was built over the Whitefish River approximately one-half mile south of this bridge. The 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) section of road that included the old bridge was redesignated King Road, and still carries local traffic.[2]
Description
Side of bridge
The King Road–Whitefish River Bridge is a girder bridge built on two skewed 35-foot (11 m) through girders, supported by concrete abutments and a center pier. The deck is a concrete slab, with the girders rising above to form the guardrails on either side. A bronze plate designating the bridge as a "Trunk Line Bridge" is mounted on the girders’ inside walls. The structure is fundamentally unaltered, but has undergone a considerable amount of concrete spalling and chipping.[2]
The King Road–Whitefish River Bridge is notable due in part to its relatively early construction date as a girder-style bridge and its two-span configuration.[2]
