Historic Packard Plant Bridge In Detroit Seen On The Grand Tour Has Fallen
One of the most iconic structures in Detroit has fallen.
The bridge that connected the two sides of the former Packard factory has collapsed only weeks after The Grand Tour episode filmed in the Motor City was aired on Amazon Prime. If you did spot it during the episode and thought it didn’t look too bad, that’s because an artistic tarpaulin was placed over the heavily corroded bridge in order to make the shot look nicer. Unfortunately, the heavy corrosion eventually caught up on the structure as it fell to the road beneath it. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
The Packard Plant bridge over the Boulevard has collapsed in #Detroit. #breaking pic.twitter.com/dfuRMAaMpF
— HistoricDetroit.org (@HistoricDET) January 23, 2019
At the time of it being built in 1911, it was named one of the greatest pieces of engineering of its time and became a beacon of the engineering prowess of the city. In 1939 it was then used to transport cars from one end of the factory to the other.
It’s currently owned by Arte Express. A spokesperson had this to say:
“Our contractors on site noted some bricks falling from that bridge earlier today. We were informed at about one this afternoon, and I directed the contractor to make efforts to block off traffic.
“Then, at about 3 this afternoon, the collapse occurred. The best we can determine is that it was a preexisting structural issue, due to temperature fluctuations that caused the collapse.”
They currently plan to use the site as a ‘mixed-use’ area. No cars, but thankfully, no greens either.
