By Jill Muraski
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| Fun fact: The GRHC says that the Blue Bridge is the longest truss bridge in Grand Rapids. |
The Blue Bridge. It can be spotted in the background of many senior and wedding photos and, in many cases, on the cover of local magazines. There are well over one hundred pictures of it on Instagram. While this bridge is a part of everyday life for the people of Grand Rapids, not many know the story behind it.
Before it became a footbridge, the Blue Bridge was built as the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad bridge in 1863, according to the Grand Rapids Historical Commission. However, it was destroyed during the Great Log Jam of 1883 before being rebuilt ten years later in its now recognizable form. The bridge then became pedestrian-only in the 1980’s.
The Blue Bridge, after its reconstruction, was painted blue. While it was just a primer color when it became a footbridge, the blue became a characteristic of the bridge that the people of Grand Rapids enjoyed. In 2013, the city took a vote to repaint it but the decision to keep it blue won out.
Today, the bridge connects two halves of the city and plays a role in its social and photography scene, but not many people stop to think that Grand Rapids came close to not having it.
Be sure to check in the next edition for another piece of Grand Rapids’ history.
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