Bond would pay for bridge repair
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
SKOWHEGAN — A photogenic and historic Skowhegan structure — the swinging bridge — will be refurbished this summer if Maine voters approve a statewide bond issue that includes money to help pay for it.
Town officials say the footbridge across the Kennebec River in Skowhegan is in need of repairs. It would be refurbished this summer if voters pass a statewide bond. click to enlarge
The cable suspension walking bridge and its predecessors have carried pedestrians across the south channel of the Kennebec River for 120 years. Last repaired in 1995, it now needs additional work.
"It's beautiful, it stands out. If you've lived in Skowhegan you've been on the swinging bridge. There's a lot of support to keep and maintain it," said Road Commissioner Gregory Dore.
The proposed $107,000 project will include replacing the joists, decking, and metal hanger rods, said Road Commissioner Gregory Dore.
The project was included in the state's 2004-05 transportation improvement plan. It was one of six selected as part of the "Maine Safe Routes to School Program, an initiative to get more kids biking and walking to school."
Plans call for the town to cover 20 percent of the cost, or $21,500. Of the rest, $66,000 will be federal funds and $20,000 in state bond funds.
Dore said while the bridge is in no danger of collapsing, the repair work needs to be done. "If you don't do something the deterioration will escalate," he said.
The 220-foot span links Skowhegan Island in the Kennebec with the south bank of the river near Alder Street. It is heavily used.
"Kids go to school across it, people in the neighborhood use it to come into the downtown. It's been used for weddings and functions like that," Dore said.
The bridge was first built in 1883 to provide access to building lots on the south side of the river. That span collapsed in 1888: it turned out the steel cables were not all steel, they had a core of hemp, according to the history "Skowhegan on the Kennebec."
It was replaced in the same year, but the replacement bridge lasted only until 1901, when it was washed away by a freshet. Rebuilt in 1902, it was wiped out by another freshet in 1936.
In 1936 Gerald Marble, an engineer and surveyor who was one of Skowhegan's foremost citizens, designed and built another replacement, the one that still stands today.
Later, Marble wrote that the bridge "has proved to be a much photographed tourist attraction, a convenience for pedestrians, a thrill for youngsters and a spot for romance." Couples, he added, "found it an ideal spot for courting."
In 1995 some of the joists were replaced, but the hanger rods that connect the suspension cables to the joists have not been replaced since Marble built it, Dore said.
Dore said he is investigating the possibility of having the new joists and decking made of wood composites.
Town highway crews would do the actual work, probably in late summer. The work would probably take too weeks. It is dependent, however, on Maine voters approving Baldacci's $75 million transportation bond during the June election.
"I'd like to have it done before school starts, but I don't think that's going to happen," Dore said.
Joe Rankin — 474-9534, Ext. 341
jrankin@centralmaine.com