Crystal Springs Street–Dowagiac River Bridge
The Crystal Springs Street–Dowagiac River Bridge is a road bridge that carries Crystal Springs Street over the Dowagiac River near Sumnerville, Michigan. It was installed in that location in 2017. Between 1938 and 2016, the bridge was located approximately 50 miles away, and carried M-86 over the Prairie River near Nottawa, Michigan, and was known then as the M-86–Prairie River Bridge. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, and is the last remaining camelback pony truss bridge used on the state trunkline system in Michigan.
History
This bridge was designed by the Michigan State Highway Department in 1923, and was constructed by contractor Ira Lyons. It was originally located on Telegraph Road over the Rouge River. In 1938/39, the bridge was moved to span the Prairie River near Nottawa, and rebuilt as part of a Public Works Administration federal relief work project, replacing a pin-connected through-truss span bridge. Contractor L. W. Lamb oversaw the reconstruction. The bridge was rebuilt to the original plans, save for the elimination of two sidewalks which had been previously cantilevered outside the trusses.In 2016, the Michigan Department of Transportation removed the bridge and replaced it with a wider structure. This bridge was restored and moved to Crystal Springs Street over the Dowagiac River in Pokagon Township, Cass County in 2017.