Happy 78th Birthday Ambassador Bridge!

The Ambassador Bridge celebrated its birthday yesterday. It opened on November 11, 1929, nine months ahead of schedule.

From the Detroit Free Press:

• "U.S.-Canada bridge opens
  November 11, 2007
  
  Seventy-eight years ago today, the Ambassador Bridge opened. At the time, the suspension bridge had the longest central span in the world.
  
  The bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, carries the highest trade volume of any border crossing in North America, making possible more than 25% of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada...
  
  Construction of the Ambassador Bridge started in 1927 with McClintic-Marshall Co. of Pittsburgh as the architect. The bridge is made primarily of steel, but its two towers, which rise 386 feet above the ground, are made of a steel-silicon alloy. It is about 7,500 feet long, with the span between the two towers measuring 1,850 feet.
  
  The bridge is privately owned by the Detroit International Bridge Co."