Frank J. Wood Bridge

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Frank J. Wood Bridge
Frank J. Woods Bridge.jpg
Frank J. Wood Bridge c. 2021
Coordinates43°55′14.57″N 69°57′57.39″W / 43.9207139°N 69.9659417°W / 43.9207139; -69.9659417 (Frank J. Wood Bridge)Coordinates: 43°55′14.57″N 69°57′57.39″W / 43.9207139°N 69.9659417°W / 43.9207139; -69.9659417 (Frank J. Wood Bridge)
Carries
CrossesAndroscoggin River
LocaleTopsham/ Brunswick, Maine
Other name(s)Green Bridge
Named forFrank J Wood
OwnerMaine
Maintained byMaine Department of Transportation
Heritage statusEligible for the National Register of Historic Places
ID numberME 2016
Preceded byAndroscoggin Swinging Bridge
Followed byRoute 1 bypass
Characteristics
DesignThrough Truss
MaterialSteel and Concrete
Total length815 feet (248 m)
Width30.8 feet (9.4 m)
Longest span310.1 feet (94.5 m)
No. of spans3
Load limit10 short tons (9.1 t)
Clearance above15.7 feet (4.8 m)
Clearance below23 feet (7.0 m)
No. of lanes2
Design life100 Years
History
Constructed byBoston Bridge Works
Built1932
Construction cost$300,000
Rebuilt1985
ReplacesBrunswick-Topsham Bridge
Statistics
Daily traffic16,790 vehicles (2016)
Location
Map
References
National Bridge Inventory

The Frank J. Wood Bridge (Also known locally as The Green Bridge) is a three span, through truss bridge crossing over the Androscoggin River between the towns of Topsham and Brunswick Maine, on Route 201. Opened in 1932, the bridge was originally called the Brunswick-Topsham bridge (as was its predecessor) but was officially renamed the Frank J. Wood Bridge, after a local farmer who suggested the location.

History

Trolly on Frank J. Woods Bridge

In 1931 the state of Maine commissioned Boston Bridge Works, of Boston, Massachusetts, to construct a new bridge over the Androscoggin river to replace the old Topsham-Brunswick Bridge that was deemed unsafe.[1] The bridge was made from 1,500 short tons (1,400 t) of steel,[1] as well as concrete, and was originally constructed with tram rails twenty feet apart.[2] The bridge was built to last one hundred years.[3]

The Frank J. Wood bridge was built to withstand any future floods that may come its way. The great flood of 1936, encapsulating all of New England, destroyed part of the bridge, but it was rebuilt and at full operating capacity within a year.[4]

In 1944 the rails from the tram line where paved over with asphalt,[5] after the Maine Central Railroad abandoned the tracks in 1937.[6]

Namesake

Frank J. Wood, (born Joseph Franklin Wood September 15, 1861 – 11 April 1935) was born to Roy M. and Mehitable Potter Wood. A former employee of Bowdoin Paper Co., Wood became the proprietor of Long View Farm on Augusta Rd. in Topsham, Maine. Wood wanted to extend his customer base to Brunswick, however the preceding bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1929 and was deemed condemned.[7] Before the bridge was built, Frank Wood petitioned the state to move the location of the new bridge slightly from where the older bridge was located. His efforts rewarded him with the bridges namesake.[7] Wood died only four years after the opening of the Frank J. Wood Bridge.[7][8]

Previous bridges

There have been several bridges since the colonial days that have been adjacent to the site of Fort Andross, just below Brunswick Falls, on the Androscoggin river, separating the towns of Topsham and Brunswick, Maine.

The First Bridge, as it was called, was built in the summer of 1796. It was built with wood and was swept away from a freshet (flood) in 1811. The 1811 Bridge was a second wooden bridge that was built, but was also swept away from a flood in 1827. The 1827 Bridge was a third bridge that was built of wood but with its foundation and piers made of stone. This bridge would also have a covered version but was destroyed by a fire in 1842. In 1871, the forth bridge was built open style, and was a toll bridge. Shortly after, it was jointly purchased and taken over by the towns of Topsham and Brunswick, and made toll free, and known as The Free Bridge. The fifth bridge, was built of light iron, but was swept away by yet another flood in 1896. The sixth bridge, In 1897 The Topsham-Brunswick Bridge was built with a heavier iron, but was pronounced condemned in 1927 after another flood.[9]

National Registry of Historic Places

After an initial review of the Bridge, in 2016, from the Maine DOT and the Federal Highway Administration, stating the bridge would not be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, in 2017, they reevaluated and determined that the Frank J. Wood Bridge is eligible both as an individual historic place and as part of the Brunswick Commercial Historic District. Eligibility is based on its local significance in transportation for its significant association with regional interurban trolley lines. While most of the features associated with the interurban line are no longer withstanding, the standard width and height of the bridge, set specifically to accommodate the interurban line was adequate integrity to convey that significance.[10]

A New bridge

Even though the Frank J Wood Bridge is eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places, the Maine DOT has determined that it is in need of replacement, and due to the poor quality of its structure, in November of 2021 limited the load of the bridge to 10 short tons (9.1 t).[11] Preliminary designs for a new bridge would be located slightly upstream of the current bridge, closer to the dam.[12] and would make it the seventh bridge to occupy the location since 1796.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Topsham Bridges to be Rebuilt – No Expense to Town". Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine). 26 April 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 8 September 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Brunswick". Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine). 12 October 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 8 September 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Plans to replace the Frank J. Wood Bridge move forward". WMTW. 12 October 1931. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Joe (3 February 1986). "The Flood of '36". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Retrieved 8 September 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Brunswick". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 4 August 1944. p. 9. Retrieved 8 September 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Cummings, Osmond Richard (1966). "Trolleys to Brunswick, Maine – 1896–1937". National Railway Historical Society. p. 5. Retrieved 9 September 2022 – via Bangor Public Library.
  7. ^ a b c "Obituary", Lewiston Evening Journal, 13 April, 1935, p. 2
  8. ^ "State Chat". Lewiston, Maine: Lewiston Evening Journal. 28 February 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 27 August 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Christian, Sheldon (18 May 1963). "Androscoggin River of Rampage at Least 26 Times in 150 Years". Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine). pp. 17, 21, 23. Retrieved 7 September 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Senk, Julie (16 January 2018). "Addendum to Supplemental Supporting Information for a Finding of Effect" (PDF). Maine DOT. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  11. ^ Carter, C. Thacher (22 November 2021). "Commercial vehicles prohibited from using bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham". The Times Record. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Main(e) Street Bridge Project". Androscoggin River Walk. Retrieved 18 September 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank J. Wood Bridge.
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