The Gateway Bridge of Taylor, Michigan (Interstate 94 and US Route 24)

The Gateway Bridge is an overpass structure which separates Interstate 94 and US Route 24 (Telegraph Road) in Taylor, Michigan. This span is a unique tied arch design which was completed during Fall 2005 in advance of Super Bowl XL. The bridge is intended to serve as the "gateway to Detroit" for travelers heading east on Interstate 94 into the city.

The Gateway Bridge of Taylor, Michigan

The Gateway Bridge was a replacement for the original overpass bridges separating Interstate 94 and US Route 24 (Telegraph Road) in Taylor. The structure was developed by the Detroit Regional Gateway Advisory as project slated to be completed in advance of Super Bowl XL. The span was intended to serve as a figurative gateway to the urban core of Detroit for travelers heading east from Metro Airport on Interstate 94.

Construction of the Gateway Bridge began during May 2004 during which Interstate 94 continued to use the original overpass bridges crossing US Route 24. The span was completed during Fall 2005 and was part of a wider improvement corridor consisting of eighteen miles of improvements to Interstate 94.

The tied arch design of the Gateway Bridge is readily apparent for travelers on Interstate 94.

The full span of the Gateway Bridge is best observed from US Route 24. The structure is 250 feet long and is painted in a distinctive blue color which contrasts from most normal freeway overpasses.

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Former California State Route 180 in Centerville

Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854. The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road. The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934. By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park. For the majority of the life of California State Route 180 in Centerville, it has not strayed far from Kings Canyon Road. This changed in 2020 when California State Route 180 was relocated onto the Kings Canyon Expressway. This blog serves as an overview of the history of California State Route 180 and general evolution of highways in Centerville. California State Route 180 can be seen passing through Centerville and Minkler below on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno Count...

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The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign. These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare. This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade. We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others? Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers. The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California. Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...