Berkley–Dighton Bridge (1896)
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The third Berkley–Dighton Bridge was a paved one-lane swing-span bridge connecting the towns of Berkley and Dighton,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. Built in 1896, it was the third at that location, and was demolished in September and October 2010. Bridges at this location are the only crossing over the
Taunton River The Taunton River (historically also called the "Taunton Great River"), is a river in southeastern Massachusetts in the United States. It arises from the confluence of the Town River and Matfield River, in the town of Bridgewater. From the ...
between the Veterans Memorial Bridge in
Fall River Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
and the Weir Street Bridge in
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
.


History

The first bridge at the site was built in 1801. There was no bridge on the site from 1853 to 1873. The third bridge was dedicated in 1896 with Luther Dean as the engineer, substructure built by Beattie and Wilcox of Fall River, Massachusetts, and superstructure built by R.F. Hawkins of
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
. The bridge as built had two traffic lanes. However, the deterioration of the structure reduced the bridge's weight-bearing capacity, so traffic flow was restricted to one lane. Traffic over the bridge was controlled by traffic signals on each side, which alternately allowed eastbound and westbound traffic to use the single lane. The road approaching the bridge from Dighton (eastbound) is known as Center Street; approaching from Berkley (westbound) it is known as Elm Street. The 1896 bridge was wide, and stood seven feet above mean high tide. It had a posted weight limit of at the end of its useful life. Proposals to replace the bridge were discussed for many years, starting no later than 1975. The Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) replaced the Berkley–Dighton Bridge because it was seriously structurally deficient, its gears often jamming in the open position, forcing travelers miles to the north or south, and the inability for the bridge to handle emergency vehicles. The MHD estimated (2001 data) that 6,200 cars crossed the bridge each day. Bridge upgrade plans met with opposition for a variety of reasons, particularly concerns about the impact on local traffic. Commercial trucks were not allowed to use this bridge. Also, the traffic lights were only triggered by cars stopping on a line in the road. This was very problematic for people not familiar with the bridge.


Opening the bridge

The towns of Dighton and Berkley paid a bridge tender to open the bridge as needed. Originally, the bridge was opened with a giant crank. The Dighton highway department installed a motor in the 1960s, though a tender was still required to grease the gears, unlock the bridge, remove some pins, and pull some switches to operate the mechanism.


Fourth bridge

The current bridge is a fixed structure which opened on 28 August 2015.


See also

* Berkley-Dighton Bridge - current bridge * List of crossings of the Taunton River


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkley-Dighton Bridge (1896) Bridges over the Taunton River Greater Taunton Area Swing bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1896 Bridges in Bristol County, Massachusetts Road bridges in Massachusetts 1896 establishments in Massachusetts Dighton, Massachusetts