2nd. St. / Gun River

County: Allegan

City/Township: Martin Twp.

Location: 2nd. St. / Gun River

Year Built: 1926

About this Bridge:
The Second Street Bridge is eligible for the National Register because it exemplifies the state's pioneering efforts to develop standard plans and implement programs such as the Covert Act. Passed by the state legislature in 1915, the Covert Act required the state, upon request of the appropriate locality, to build all trunk-line roads as well as inter-county non-system roads. Adjacent land owners were assessed for half the cost; road commissions could issue bonds for the remainder.

The Second Street Bridge was built by the Allegan County Road Commission as a covert road bridge in about 1926. The county hired Yost Brothers, contractors from Decatur, Indiana, to erect the structure. The original plans cannot be located, but the design appears to be based on the standard Michigan State Highway Department plan for a curved-chord concrete girder bridge. This structure is a rare example of a bridge with a plate indicating that it was built as part of a covert road.