Editing Grosse Ile Township, Michigan (section)

===Railroads and bridges===

In 1873 the Canada Southern Bridge Company, a subsidiary of the [[Canada Southern Railroad Company]], established a railroad from the Michigan mainland to the island that carried both passengers and freight. The company laid tracks across Grosse Ile and built bridges over the Detroit River to enable trains to be transferred to a ferryboat on Stony Island (one of the islands near the east shoreline of Grosse Ile's "main island"). Once on the ferryboat, the train cars were taken to [[Ontario, Canada]] across the river, where they were put back on a rail track to travel to [[Buffalo, New York]] and other points east. Canada Southern operated trains on this route for about ten years before ceasing service due to financial difficulties.<ref name=":0" />

After Canada Southern ended its operations, the [[Michigan Central Railroad]] (MCR) operated a train that provided service between the island and [[Trenton, Michigan]]. From Trenton, travelers could connect with trains or streetcars to Detroit and other cities in the region. In 1904, the Michigan Central Railroad built a small brick and stone depot along the tracks near East River Road on the east side of the island.

Train service peaked during the early 20th century, but rapidly declined after [[Edward W. Voigt]]'s [[Grosse Ile Bridge Company]] opened the [[Grosse Ile Toll Bridge]] for automobile traffic on November 27, 1913 (Thanksgiving Day). The bridge, which is privately owned, is on the west side of the island and connects to the city of [[Riverview, Michigan|Riverview]]. After automobile traffic crossing the bridge became the most popular means of traveling to and from the island, the Michigan Central Railroad ceased daily passenger service in early 1924; in 1929 it ended its occasional freight service.<ref name=":0" />

During 1931, the county government converted the Michigan Central Railroad's defunct rail bridge crossing the Trenton Channel into the [[Wayne County Bridge]] for use by vehicular, bike and pedestrian traffic. The rail tracks across the island were replaced by a roadway that is now known as Grosse Ile Parkway. The Wayne County Bridge is commonly referred to as the "Free Bridge" by residents because it does not charge a toll.

Today, about three-quarters of the vehicle traffic going to and from Grosse Ile travels over the Wayne County Bridge, while one-quarter crosses the Toll Bridge. The Toll Bridge has been hit twice by [[lake freighter]]s, causing it to close temporarily (in 1965 and in 1992). The Wayne County Bridge was closed to vehicle traffic for major renovations between May 2, 2007, and December 21, 2007. During the 2007 county bridge closure period, the Toll Bridge provided the only route for vehicles to travel to and from the island.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History – Grosse Ile Bridge|url=https://grosseilebridge.com/history/|access-date=2020-12-19|language=en}}</ref>