[1] Lake Leelanau was a major impediment to east-west travel since this area was first settled in the mid-1800s.

In 1939, the Michigan State Highway Department decided to replace the aging truss bridge to help support the local tourist economy.

The bridge project was part of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, which provided jobs in the Great Depression through funding public infrastructure projects.

[2] Each span is 60 feet (18 m) long and consists of nine rolled steel beams, sitting on concrete mid-stream piers and skewed end abutments.

The deck of the bridge is 38 feet (12 m) wide, with sidewalks on each side of the roadway.