On the Great Sauk Trail

The 23 Mile Road-Kalamazoo River Bridge, commonly known as the Mottville Bridge, once carried US-12 across the St Joseph River at the west edge of the Village of Mottville. Set at a long-used Sauk tribal crossing, it is the fourth bridge built at this location. Now serving as a pedestrian span, the structure extends 270 feet in three identical 90-foot reinforced-concrete camelback-arch spans, each 22 feet wide, supported by concrete piers and abutments. Massive reinforced-concrete girders form the sweeping arches, and each arch is pierced by five openings above paired recessed panels that lend a restrained decorative effect. Built in 1922 to a standardized Michigan State Highway Department design, the Mottville Bridge is the largest surviving reinforced-concrete camelback bridge in the state. - AsNotedIn