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 On this day in engineering history, the first Blue Water Bridge was opened to traffic between Port
Huron, Michigan and Port Edward, Ontario. The
international crossing spans the St. Clair River at the southern end of Lake
Huron, and is jointly owned by the United States
and Canada.
Today, the 6,535-ft. long cantilever truss is one of two bridges which connect
U.S. Interstates 69 and 94 with Canada's
Highway 402. Now one of the busiest transportation arteries in North America,
the original Blue Water Bridge
carries three lanes of west-bound traffic from Ontario and the Eastern seaboard to the
American Midwest and points beyond. A newer bridge that opened in 1997 carries
three lanes of eastbound traffic, and is part of a large complex of toll booths
and inspection stations.
The Politics of Planning
Planning the first Blue Water Bridge posed numerous political and
financial hurdles. During the 1920s, a group of Port Huron investors floated
plans for a bridge that would enable their city to attract business and better
compete with Detroit, a bustling industrial hub whose Ambassador Bridge linked
the Motor City to Windsor, Ontario. At first, proponents of the St. Clair River
Project planned to connect the downtown business districts of Sarnia,
Canada with Port Huron, Michigan.
When plans for a bridge that would span Sarnia
Bay proved too expensive, however, a
local businessman named Maynard D. Smith suggested a shorter structure that
would link the small Canadian community of Port Edward to Fort
Gratiot, a Michigan
village which Port Huron
had annexed in 1893. Although downtown business owners sought to stall Smith's
efforts, American and Canadian officials agreed to support the proposed
crossing.
Building the Blue Water Bridge
In 1928, Maynard D. Smith hired a Pennsylvania-based company
named Modjeski and Masters to what would become the Blue Water Bridge. Ralph Modjeski, a Polish-born
engineer who would become known as "America's greatest bridge builder",
served as lead engineer for the project. In developing a design, Modjeski faced obstacles posed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which
sought to ensure that the St. Clair River remain navigable for military and
commercial vessels. Bridge construction could not interfere with navigation,
bridge builders could not use floating platforms, and the completed span was
required to clear the water by 150 ft. Originally, Modjeski proposed a mammoth
suspension-style bridge with tall towers and massive cable anchorages; however,
because of the 150-ft. vertical clearance requirement for shipping, he opted instead for a cantilevered through-truss design.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Water_Bridge
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9618_11070-22062--,00.html
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/constrhistory_16062_7.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Modjeski
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