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Bourne Highway Bridge

Coordinates: 41°44′41″N 70°36′03″W / 41.7448°N 70.6009°W / 41.7448; -70.6009
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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
Map
References
[1]

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

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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.[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

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References

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  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.[self-published source]
  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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