The Interstate Bridge between Marinette, Wisconsin and Menominee, Michigan carries U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) over the Menominee River. The current bridge was completed in November 2005 and replaced the previous span built in 1929. History The Interstate Bridge was built in 1929 for $700,000 (equivalent to $ in ) to carry US 41 over the Menominee River at the state line. This bridge replaced a series of bridges built to connect Marinette, Wisconsin and Menominee, Michigan across the river. The first bridge was built in 1865 with a second built in 1872. A drawbridge was built in 1897 that connected the two communities farther upstream between downtown Marinette and Menominee's Frenchtown neighborhood near what is now 19th Street. The first Interstate Bridge replaced the previous bridges. It was built at an angle across the river, prompting one local resident to describe it as being "built up and down [the] river." This bridge served as a vital connection between the two communities across the river. Residents of Menominee that worked in Marinette would drive as many as four times a day across the bridge in the 1930s and 1940s when families owned a single car. The Baby Boomer generation used the bridge as part of "cruising the loop". The 1929 bridge was in length, consisting of eleven spans. The construction used of dirt and of steel. Planning for the span took about five years to hammer out the details between the two states. Setbacks during construction included flooding of the coffer dams used in the building of the piers that supported the bridge. The bridge opened in December 1929, just months after the October 29 stock market crash. The dedication ceremony for the bridge was held on June 6, 1930, and included governors Walter J. Kohler, Sr. of Wisconsin and Fred W. Green of Michigan. The ribbon cutters included Princess Kenoke of the Menominee Tribe. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1970 in a project that included widening the deck and replacing the guard rails. Another construction project in 1999 repaired the Michigan side and the slough bridge portion of the Wisconsin side of the bridge; the project closed the bridge for six months. Reconstruction The Interstate Bridge was replaced on the existing foundations starting on November 1, 2004, in a joint project between the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). The 13-month project was