Stuck In Traffic

Friday I was in Detroit photographing houses. While in transit, I was stuck in traffic because of a draw bridge that was up over the Rouge River in Detroit. The Herbert C. Jackson was being tugged through the river. This is a classic Great Lakes freighter that was actually built in this very area at Great Lakes Engineering Works in 1959.

It turns out in 2006 the Jackson had to rig a hose to cool down the very bridge that I shot this picture from. Extreme heat had caused the bridge joints to expand causing the bridge to be locked in the down position. It took about 25 minutes for this ship to get under the bridge, the channel is not much wider than the ship.

Herbert C. Jackson on Rouge River • Photo by: James Lundeen