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Bourne Highway Bridge

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This article is about the former bridge that spanned the Cape Cod Canal. For the extant bridge, see Bourne Bridge. Bridge in Bourne, Massachusetts
Bourne Highway Bridge
Bourne Highway Bridge, c. 1911
Coordinates41°44′41″N 70°36′03″W / 41.7448°N 70.6009°W / 41.7448; -70.6009
CarriedPerry Avenue
CrossedCape Cod Canal
LocaleBourne, Massachusetts (Buzzards Bay-Cape Cod)
Characteristics
DesignScherzer double-leaf rolling lift bridge
Total length729 feet (222 m)
Width30 feet (9.1 m)
Longest span160 feet (49 m)
Clearance below41 feet (12 m)
History
Construction startAugust 10, 1910 (1910-08-10)
Construction endJune 1911
ClosedJune 22, 1935 (1935-06-22)
DemolishedDecember 1935
Location
References

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.

History

A 1922 map of the Cape Cod Canal, including the Bourne Highway Bridge
A 1925 aerial view of Bourne and the bridge

Work on the bridge began on August 10, 1910, during construction of the Cape Cod Canal. The bridge abutments were completed by December. In April 1911, the bridge was reported as being nearly completed. Reports at that time noted that once the new bridge was opened, an existing bridge over the Monument River in Bourne would be closed. On May 20, the bridge was physically opened (lifted) for the first time. In late June, the bridge was described as "ready", with plans being made for its immediate opening.

In May 1923, two people in an automobile crashed through fencing on the bridge and into the canal. The driver, Professor William Wright of Harvard, drowned, while his daughter was rescued. 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.

The greatest amount of traffic to cross the bridge was 14,000 cars, recorded one day during the summer of 1934. The bridge was removed from service on June 22, 1935, with the opening of the new Bourne Bridge and Sagamore Bridge. As of the end of 1935, the bridge was being disassembled and removed.

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.

See also

References

  1. 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.
  2. "To Span Cape Cod Canal". The Boston Globe. August 10, 1910. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Bridge Abutments Completed". The Boston Globe. December 7, 1910. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Big Bridge Nearly Done". The Evening Herald. Fall River, Massachusetts. April 26, 1911. p. 11. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "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.
  6. "Highway Bridge Opened From Buzzards Bay to Bourne". The Boston Globe. May 20, 1911. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Highway Bridge at Bourne Now Ready". The Boston Globe. June 27, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "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.
  9. "Fail to Find Body of Dr William E. Wright". The Boston Globe. May 15, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "West Roxbury Man Hurt as Car Plunges 35 Feet". The Boston Globe. March 9, 1935. p. 15. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Bridges", The Boston Globe, p. 4, June 24, 1935, retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
  12. "Cape Canal Bridges Will Open Saturday". The Boston Globe. June 21, 1935. p. 8. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Water Front News". The Boston Globe. December 31, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Gold, Robert (June 16, 2008). "Buzzards Bay beautification beguiles". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved May 14, 2023.

Further reading

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