A covered toll bridge first spanned this section of the River Raisin in 1819. Destroyed by high water and ice in 1832, the bridge was replaced with a conventional wooden span, which lasted 30 years before being replaced in the late 1860's.
"Ten dollars fine for riding or driving over this bridge faster than a walk," read a sign suspended over the iron bridge constructed here in 1900. Due to heavy traffic demand, a wide steel-reinforced concrete bridge took its place in 1927, slightly to the west of the previous bridge.
One of the first of its kind designed and built by the Michigan Department of Transportation, the cantilever-style bridge outlasted each of the former structures here. During its 60-year life the bridge was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.
Upon inspection in 1989, the Monroe Street Bridge was found to be beyond rehabilitation. Aware of the bridge's historical significance, the Michigan Department of Transportation designed the features of the present bridge to resemble those of the previous structure. It was completed in June 1990 at a cost of about one million dollars.
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