# MacArthur Bridge (Detroit)

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Bridge in Detroit, Michigan

MacArthur Bridge Coordinates 42°20′33″N 82°59′55″W / 42.3425°N 82.9985°W / 42.3425; -82.9985 Carries 5 lanes of East Grand Boulevard Crosses Detroit River Locale Detroit, Michigan Official name Douglas MacArthur Bridge Other name Belle Isle Bridge Characteristics Design Arch bridge Total length 2,193 feet (668 m) Width 85 feet (26 m) Clearance below 30 feet (9 m) History Opened November 1, 1923 Location Interactive map of MacArthur Bridge

The **MacArthur Bridge** spans a channel of the [Detroit River](/source/Detroit_River) in [Detroit, Michigan](/source/Detroit). The bridge, which features 19 total arches across 2,193 feet (668 m), provides main access between the city's mainland and [Belle Isle](/source/Belle_Isle_Park_(Michigan)). Completed in 1923 for $2.635 million (equivalent to $37.7 million in 2024[1]), it replaced an iron bridge with wooden decking that accidentally caught fire and was destroyed in 1915. The bridge, popularly known as the Belle Isle Bridge, was originally named the George Washington Bridge and renamed the Douglas MacArthur Bridge after General [Douglas MacArthur](/source/Douglas_MacArthur) in 1942.[2][3] It was restored in 1986 at a cost of $11.5 million (equivalent to $27.8 million in 2024[1]).[3]

In 1913, [William Edmund Scripps](/source/William_Edmund_Scripps) (of the [Scripps](/source/E._W._Scripps_Company) publishing family), flew a [Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company](/source/Curtiss_Aeroplane_and_Motor_Company) [flying boat](/source/Flying_boat) underneath the original Belle Isle Bridge.[4]

Two sets of streetcar tracks were built into the east side of the bridge but a streetcar route was never implemented.[5] The tracks were eventually paved over in the 1950s.

## Photo gallery

		- Entering Belle Isle from MacArthur Bridge

		- View of bridge from Belle Isle

		- View of bridge from the [Detroit International Riverfront](/source/Detroit_International_Riverfront)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-inflation-USGDP_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-inflation-USGDP_1-1) Johnston, Louis & Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). ["What Was the U.S. GDP Then?"](http://www.measuringworth.com/datasets/usgdp/). *[MeasuringWorth](/source/MeasuringWorth)*. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States [Gross Domestic Product deflator](/source/Gross_Domestic_Product_deflator) figures follow the *MeasuringWorth* series.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Austin, Dan (February 18, 2015). ["The Day It Stopped Being the Belle Isle Bridge"](http://www.freep.com/story/news/2015/02/18/belle-isle-bridge-detroit/23610549/). *Detroit Free Press*. Retrieved December 2, 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-HistDet_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-HistDet_3-1) ["Douglas MacArthur Bridge"](http://www.historicdetroit.org/building/douglas-macarthur-bridge/). *Historic Detroit*. Retrieved December 2, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Zacharias, Patricia & Jeskey, Ray (April 27, 1998). ["The Day the Bridge to Belle Isle Burned Down"](http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=77&CFID=11849544&CFTOKEN=67648774). Michigan History. *The Detroit News*.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Belle Isle"](http://www.detroittransithistory.info/Routes/BelleIsle.html). *www.detroittransithistory.info*. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

## External links

- Media related to [MacArthur Bridge (Detroit River)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:MacArthur_Bridge_(Detroit_River)) at Wikimedia Commons

Crossings of the Detroit River Upstream Lake Saint Clair MacArthur Bridge Downstream Detroit-Windsor Tunnel

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [MacArthur Bridge (Detroit)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Bridge_(Detroit)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacArthur_Bridge_(Detroit)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.