Scott Road (38th) / I-94

County: Kalamazoo

City/Township: Charleston Twp.

Location: Scott Road (38th) / I-94

Year Built: 1951

About this Bridge:
Positioned on a north-south axis, the Scott Road Bridge is located southeast of the town of Galesburg in a rural area. The structure is skewed. Railings are standard plan metal panels between concrete posts, terminating at original solid concrete stepped parapet rail ends.

This bridge was part of a relocation project for US-12 (now I-94), which was to become the Detroit-Chicago Expressway. This bridge was one of the first built for the Kalamazoo segment of the project. The belt lines or by-passes created by the relocation were an attempt to relieve traffic congestion in the cities along the route.

This bridge is one of six in the survey that were part of the relocation project near Kalamazoo. The majority of early expressway bridges, including the others near Kalamazoo, have been altered with concrete parapet replacement railings. As one of the few early expressway bridges with integrity, the Scott Road Bridge is considered historic due to its association with the development of expressways in Michigan.