Bourne Bridge

Bourne Bridge

Cape Cod Canal – Bourne Bridge
Coordinates 41°44′51.73″N 70°35′22.31″W / 41.7477028°N 70.5895306°W / 41.7477028; -70.5895306Coordinates: 41°44′51.73″N 70°35′22.31″W / 41.7477028°N 70.5895306°W / 41.7477028; -70.5895306
Carries 4 lanes of Route 28
Crosses Cape Cod Canal
Locale Bourne, Massachusetts
Maintained by United States Army Corps of Engineers
Characteristics
Design Arch bridge with suspended deck
Total length 2,384 ft (727 m)
Width 45 ft (14 m)
Longest span 616 ft (188 m)
Clearance below 135 ft (41 m)
History
Construction begin 1933
Opened June 22, 1935
Statistics
Toll None

The Bourne Bridge in Bourne, Massachusetts, carries Route 28 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts. It won the American Institute of Steel Construction's Class "A" Award of Merit as the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in 1934.[1]

Most traffic approaching from the west follows Massachusetts Route 25, which ends at the interchange with US 6/Route 28 just north of the bridge, and provides freeway connections from Interstate 495 and Interstate 195.

There is a sidewalk for pedestrian and bicycle access on the west side of the bridge, the only legal way to walk or pedal onto the part of Cape Cod beyond the canal.

During relatively high winds of 70MPH or above due to bad weather, bridges to the Cape are sometimes closed for safety.[2]

History

The bridge, along with its sibling, the Sagamore Bridge, was constructed beginning in 1933 by the Public Works Administration for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which operates both the bridges and the canal. Both bridges carry four lanes of traffic over a 616-foot (188 m) main span, with a 135-foot (41 m) ship clearance. Construction ended in early 1935 and then opened on June 22, 1935. Due to the topography of the land, however, the approaches to the main span of the Bourne Bridge are considerably longer than those of the Sagamore Bridge.

The bridge replaces an earlier 1911 drawbridge; the current structure was built to accommodate the widening of the canal. Like the old Sagamore Bridge, the original drawbridge's approaches are still accessible.

The bridge commences at a major rotary, this one on the east (Cape Cod) end. On the mainland side, New York Central Tugboat 16 sat on dry land at the approach to the bridge from the rotary from 1982 to 2006, serving as a local attraction.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 50th Anniversary Cape Cod Canal Bridges, Bourne, Massachusetts 1935–1985. Waltham, Massachusetts: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1985. p. 2.
  2. ↑ "Bourne, Sagamore bridges may close if Hurricane Sandy brings sustained winds of 70 mph". Boston.com. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Remembering New York Central #16". Tug Boat Enthusiasts Society of the Americas. 2007. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
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