DETROIT – Construction crews were working at the site of the abandoned Packard Plant when the iconic bridge over East Grand Boulevard collapsed on Wednesday.
It's possible that led to the collapse. Crews have been working to clean up the debris.
No injuries were reported. It's not clear how long it will take to reopen the road.
The bridge stood for decades at the century-old plant. When the Packard Plant opened in 1903 it was considered the most modern car manufacturing facility worldwide. The plant operated until 1958.
"It's like losing an old friend," Marvin King said.
King is a self-proclaimed Packard Plant historian. He rushed to the scene after learning the old pedestrian bridge came crashing down.
"This plant for Packard guys is like the pyramids to Egyptologists, this, for us, is close to being sacred ground," King said.
The bridge was destroyed and security noticed pieces of bricks crumbling onto the road.
"We went to block off the streets and we looked around and that's when I saw the bridge just fall down," Ron Dickerson said.
Arte Express purchased most of the plant six years ago and plans are underway to revitalize the area. The company owns one building the bridge was connected to and the city of Detroit owns the other.
The city of Detroit released this statement Wednesday night:
"The Detroit Building Authority has contracted with Blue Star Demolition to perform the removal of the collapsed Packard Plant pedestrian bridge over E. Grand Boulevard. Blue Star is a pre-qualified vendor under an existing emergency contract the city has in place for unexpected situations such as this.
Blue Star workers are arriving on site this evening to begin their assessment and to develop their plan for safely separating the remainder of the bridge structure from the buildings on each side and removing the debris from the roadway and adjacent areas.
We expect that active work will begin in the morning. There is no timeline yet established for the completion of work and the reopening of the road. The first priority is the safety of the workers and the public. The roadway will remain closed until work has completed and security staff from Arte Express will be on site around the clock to help ensure that no unauthorized individuals enter the area."