The Bourne Highway Bridge was a bascule bridge in the town of Bourne, Massachusetts, that spanned the Cape Cod Canal. It was in use from 1911 until 1935.
Bourne Highway Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Bourne Highway Bridge, c. 1911 | |
| Coordinates | 41°44′41″N 70°36′03″W / 41.7448°N 70.6009°W |
| Carried | Perry Avenue |
| Crossed | Cape Cod Canal |
| Locale | Bourne, Massachusetts (Buzzards Bay-Cape Cod) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Scherzer double-leaf rolling lift bridge |
| Total length | 729 feet (222 m) |
| Width | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| Longest span | 160 feet (49 m) |
| Clearance below | 41 feet (12 m) |
| History | |
| Construction start | August 10, 1910 |
| Construction end | June 1911 |
| Closed | June 22, 1935 |
| Demolished | December 1935 |
| Location | |
 | |
| References | |
| [1] | |
History
edit
Work on the bridge began on August 10, 1910, during construction of the Cape Cod Canal.[2] The bridge abutments were completed by December.[3] In April 1911, the bridge was reported as being nearly completed.[4] Reports at that time noted that once the new bridge was opened, an existing bridge over the Monument River in Bourne would be closed.[5] On May 20, the bridge was physically opened (lifted) for the first time.[6] In late June, the bridge was described as "ready", with plans being made for its immediate opening.[7]
In May 1923, two people in an automobile crashed through fencing on the bridge and into the canal.[8] The driver, Professor William Wright of Harvard, drowned, while his daughter was rescued.[9] In March 1935, a driver from the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston survived a 35-foot (11 m) drop in his car after it skidded off the approach to the bridge and landed at the edge of the canal.[10]
The greatest amount of traffic to cross the bridge was 14,000 cars, recorded one day during the summer of 1934.[11] The bridge was removed from service on June 22, 1935, with the opening of the new Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge.[12] As of the end of 1935, the bridge was being disassembled and removed.[13]
Circa 2008, volunteers and residents of the Buzzards Bay section of Bourne created a scenic viewpoint named "Three Mile Look" on the former site of the bridge on the mainland side of the canal.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Pearls, BJ (2008). "The Creation of The Bourne, Sagamore and Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridges That Exist Today". The Creation of The Cape Cod Canal. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014.[self-published source]
- ^ "To Span Cape Cod Canal". The Boston Globe. August 10, 1910. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bridge Abutments Completed". The Boston Globe. December 7, 1910. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Big Bridge Nearly Done". The Evening Herald. Fall River, Massachusetts. April 26, 1911. p. 11. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Will Be Open Soon: New Highway Bridge From Buzzards Bay to Bourne". The Boston Globe. April 26, 1911. p. 12. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Highway Bridge Opened From Buzzards Bay to Bourne". The Boston Globe. May 20, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Highway Bridge at Bourne Now Ready". The Boston Globe. June 27, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Search for Wright's Body in the Cape Cod Canal". The Boston Globe. May 14, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fail to Find Body of Dr William E. Wright". The Boston Globe. May 15, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "West Roxbury Man Hurt as Car Plunges 35 Feet". The Boston Globe. March 9, 1935. p. 15. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bridges", The Boston Globe, p. 4, June 24, 1935, retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Cape Canal Bridges Will Open Saturday". The Boston Globe. June 21, 1935. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Water Front News". The Boston Globe. December 31, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gold, Robert (June 16, 2008). "Buzzards Bay beautification beguiles". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
Further reading
edit- Turner, Lane; Tuite, Lisa (August 8, 2012). "Cape Cod Canal and bridges". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 14, 2023.