| US 12 Bridges | |
| Coordinates: | 42.3264°N -83.1608°W |
| Built: | 1948 |
| Architect: | Michigan State Highway Department |
| Builder: | Darin and Armstrong |
| Architecture: | stringer; deckplate girder |
| Added: | February 4, 2000 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Refnum: | 00000041 |
The US 12 Bridges are two bridges carrying U.S. Route 12 (US 12) over Interstate 94 (I-94) and the westbound I-94 ramp in Dearborn, Michigan. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The utility of constructing a cross-town expressway through Detroit was recognized as early as the 1920s. Planning continued off and on through the early 1940s, when the state began anticipating post-war projects. Originally called the "Crosstown Expressway," the Detroit City Council approved a petition to rename the proposed stretch the "Edsel Ford Expressway" in April 1946. The 14miles Edsel Ford would ultimately require the construction of over 70 structures, of which the US-12 bridges are two.[1]
Work began on the freeway in 1948, starting on the Detroit–Dearborn border, with the US 12 bridges being the first structures opened for bidding. The firm of Darin & Armstrong won the construction contract with a bid of $925,000, and began work in August 1948. The bridges were completed by August 1949. A ribbon cutting ceremony, presided over by State Highway Commissioner Charles Ziegler, was held on August 17.[1]
Of the two bridges, the span over I-94 is the longer. The shorter span over the westbound I-94 ramp is 50feet long and 90feet wide. The bridge has eighteen stringers, more closely spaced in the center of the deck to support what once was a streetcar line. Channels are laid over and riveted onto the stringers. The railing, installed in 1967, has a precast base and horizontal pipe.[2]