Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

The Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge, a vertical lift bridge in Bourne, Massachusetts near Buzzards Bay, carries railroad traffic across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the mainland.Design and constructionThe bridge was constructed beginning in 1933 by the Public Works Administration from a design by firms Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff, and Douglas as well as Mead and White (both of New York), for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which operates both the bridge and the canal. The bridge has a 544ft main span, with a 135ft clearance when raised, uses 1100ST counterweights on each end, and opened on December 29, 1935. The bridge replaced a bascule bridge that had been built in 1910.At the time of its completion, it was the longest vertical lift span in the world. It is now the second longest lift bridge in the United States, the longest being the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge between New Jersey and Staten Island, New York.Maintenance and current useThe bridge is owned, operated and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. In 2002, the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge underwent a major rehabilitation, including replacement of cables, machinery, and electrical systems, at a cost of $30 million and was reopened in 2003.