New Richmond Swing Bridge

The New Richmond Swing Bridge is a steel structure that crosses the Kalamazoo River with four main sections, featuring a 89-foot pivoting Warren pony truss span at its center. The bridge connects both banks of the river and displays typical characteristics of late nineteenth-century metal bridge engineering.

The bridge was built in 1879 by the Milwaukee Bridge & Iron Company and replaced a wooden drawbridge that had served the area since 1842. This shift from wood to steel reflects the technological advances in bridge construction methods of that era.

The name New Richmond comes from the nearby town, and today walkers and cyclists use it to cross between parks on either side of the river. The way people move through it shows how important such connections have become for local recreation.

The structure now serves as a pedestrian crossing after closing to vehicle traffic in 1997 and connects parks on both riverbanks. Walking across is most comfortable during dry weather, and visitors should expect some uneven surfaces along the way.

The rotating mechanism of the bridge remains functional and can be set in motion by request, preserving its original engineering from the nineteenth century. This capability is rare today, as most similar structures have long since fixed their moving parts in place.