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Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge

Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: August 28, 2019

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Railroad (Mass Coastal Railroad) Over Cape Cod Canal
Location
Buzzards Bay: Barnstable County, Massachusetts: United States
Structure Type
Metal 18 Panel Rivet-Connected Polygonal Warren Through Truss, Movable: Vertical Lift (Tower Drive) and Approach Spans: Metal 4 Panel Rivet-Connected Double-Intersection Warren Through Truss, Fixed
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1935 By Builder/Contractor: Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and Engineer/Design: Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff and Douglas of New York City, New York
Rehabilitation Date
Not Available or Not Applicable
Main Span Length
544.0 Feet (165.8 Meters)
Structure Length
806.0 Feet (245.7 Meters)
Roadway Width
Not Available
Spans
1 Main Span(s) and 2 Approach Span(s)
Inventory Number
Not Applicable

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
View Information About HSR Ratings

Bridge Documentation

This enormous vertical lift bridge had the longest lift span in the world for many years and is also noted for its ornamental detailing. The bridge features large, beautiful riveted finials on top of the towers, and an ornamental portal brace cresting that includes the logo of the Army Corps of Engineers. The bridge replaced what may have been the first Strauss heel-trunnion bascule bridge ever built, which dated to 1910 and was a much shorter span than this bridge. The lift bridge was the longest lift span in the world until the 1959 completion of the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge, which has a slightly longer span of 558 feet. Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff and Douglas of New York City, New York was the designing engineer, but they worked with movable bridge design experts J.A.L. Waddell and Shortridge Hardesty.
View YouTube video showing a bridge crossing by train.
View YouTube video showing the lift bridge raising and lowering.

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation For This Bridge

View Historical Article About This Bridge

View Historic Bridge Inventory Sheet For This Bridge

View Page From Strauss Catalog About Previous Bridge

Above: Historical photo showing previous bascule bridge at this location.

Historical photos below are from the Nina Heald Webber Cape Cod Canal collection.

Above: Historical photo showing previous bascule bridge at this location.

Above: Drawing of bridge.

Above: Historical photo showing bridge construction.

Above: Historical photo showing bridge construction.

Above: Historical photo showing newly completed bridge with construction crew.

Above: Historical bearing ad featuring bridge.

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

 

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Bridge Photo-Documentation

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Bridge Photo-Documentation

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A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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Maps and Links: Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

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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