The Casco Bay Bridge is a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...

that spans the Fore River, connecting South Portland and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, United States. The bridge carries four lanes (two in each direction) of State Route 77, a

bike lane Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles (marked with a solid white line, entry by motor v ...

in each direction, and a pedestrian sidewalk on the east side of the span.

History

In 1987 the state of Maine, in concert with surrounding towns, concluded that the existing

Million Dollar Bridge The Miles Glacier Bridge, also known as the Million Dollar Bridge, was built in the early 1900s across the Copper River fifty miles from Cordova in what is now the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a multiple-span Pennsylvania truss bridge which compl ...

, which was almost 70 years old, was inadequate for current needs. This bridge, also a draw bridge, had only two traffic lanes and offered severely limited clearances for maritime traffic. Given increases in tanker commerce and increased usage of the bridge, a replacement was decided on, and construction started in 1993. The Casco Bay Bridge was completed in 1997. In October 2015, the Maine Department of Transportation announced that it was seeking bids to privatize the maintenance and operation of the bridge, stating that it would be more cost effective and efficient for taxpayers. If done, it would be the first time the State privatized the operation of a bridge. The Maine State Employees Association questioned the public safety implications of a private entity operating the bridge, as wondered what would happen to the employees who presently operate it.

Design

The new Casco Bay Bridge has four 12 foot (3.7 m) wide lanes, with a pedestrian lane on its eastern side. The bridge is supported by several 7 foot (2.1m meter) thick concrete H-pile cylinders, which the bridge's steel girders sit atop. The new bridge has much higher horizontal and vertical clearances, which allow larger ships access further into the Fore River, with the bascule also having to open less frequently. Extra precautions were taken to ensure that the bridge had sufficient pier protection (during construction to the bridge, the existing Million Dollar Bridge was struck at its piers by the oil tanker '' Julie N.'', which spilled roughly 179,600 gallons (679,860 liters) of heating oil into Casco Bay. The bridge's steelwork was painted red in order to make it aesthetically pleasing. The final cost for the Casco Bay Bridge was $130 million, making it the largest project undertaken by the Maine Department of Transportation at the time.

SMS text alert system

According to the Bangor Daily News, a South Portland entrepreneur started a unique service for Casco Bay Bridge commuters in October 2012. The service, titled cascobaybridge.com, offers subscribers a text message alert when the Casco Bay Bridge goes up due to passing ships. Currently the service is offered during the morning and evening rush hours, but may be expanded if demand warrants.

References

Bascule bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1997 Buildings and structures in South Portland, Maine Bridges in Portland, Maine Road bridges in Maine Steel bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States 1997 establishments in Maine {{Maine-bridge-struct-stub