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Steep Falls Bridge

Steep Falls Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: June 15, 2012

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
ME-11 (Sokokis Avenue and Main Street) Over Saco River
Location
Steep Falls: York County, Maine and Cumberland County, Maine: United States
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1936 By Builder/Contractor: Boston Bridge Works of Boston, Massachusetts
Rehabilitation Date
1964
Main Span Length
220.0 Feet (67.1 Meters)
Structure Length
226.0 Feet (68.9 Meters)
Roadway Width
22 Feet (6.71 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s)
Inventory Number
3328

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
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Bridge Documentation

This bridge no longer exists!

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

This historic bridge was demolished and replaced!

This bridge is an impressive example of a state-designed through truss bridge.

The bottom portion of the portal bracing has been replaced with a new beam, which is bolted to the original riveted portal bracing. This new beam was obviously placed after the bridge's last coat of paint since it still has a decent coat of paint intact on it, while the rest of the bridge has a paint system that has nearly completely failed. The National Bridge Inventory listed rehabilitation date is 1964. Could this bridge not have been painted for around a half century?! Overall, the bridge remains in decent condition, however rehabilitation is needed. If the bridge is not rehabilitated (including blast cleaning and painting the bridge) in the near future, the amount of tax dollars spent rehabilitating this historic bridge will greatly increase, especially since the bridge cannot defend itself from moisture without paint on it. Worse, MaineDOT may decide on demolishing and replacing it with a mundane bridge with no aesthetic value... likely an even more expensive proposition for taxpayers. Maintaining a bridge nearly always costs less tax dollars in the long run. Additionally, in this case, it preserves a beautiful historic bridge. The main reason highway agencies do not bother to save tax dollars by maintaining bridges appears to be because free federal money gets thrown at them if they can get the bridge deteriorated to a point that its sufficiency rating drops below 50. This free federal money is not available for simple maintenance projects: that comes out of the highway agency's own pocket so to speak. In other words, they are rewarded for engaging in the wasteful practice of deferring maintenance.

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Steep Falls Bridge

 

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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Original / Full Size Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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View Photo Gallery

Bridge Photo-Documentation

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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View Video

Southwestbound Crossing

Full Motion Video
Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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Maps and Links: Steep Falls Bridge

This historic bridge has been demolished. This map is shown for reference purposes only.

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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