Martin's Point Bridge spans the

Presumpscot River The Presumpscot River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river located in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. It is the main outlet of Sebago ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States, near the river’s mouth with

Casco Bay Casco Bay is an bay, open bay of the Gulf of Maine on the coast of Maine in the United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chart for Casco Bay marks the dividing line between the bay and the Gulf of Maine as running from ...

. It connects Falmouth Foreside, at Mackworth Point, in the north, to the East Deering neighborhood of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, at Martin's Point, in the south. in length, it carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic of

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...

. The bridge is two lanes, including a bicycle lane in each, with a pedestrian lane on the eastern side. A similar plan for the western side of the bridge was abandoned. The bridge passes around to the west of Mackworth Island and around east of Interstate 295 on the banks of the river. Route 1 joins I-295 a short distance to the south at the Veranda Street

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

. The first bridge was erected in 1828. Today's bridge, completed in 2014, is the fifth iteration, replacing one that was built in 1943. As of 2015, the bridge carries around 15,000 vehicles each day. It is part of the 3,000-mile long

East Coast Greenway The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991 with the goal to use the entire route with off-road, s ...

connecting Maine and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

History

In 1807, Ammi Ruhamah Mitchell and others petitioned for a bridge to provide a crossing of the Presumpscot River at its mouth with Casco Bay. Due to the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, plans for the bridge were put on hold. In 1828, the Proprietors of the Martin's Point Bridge committee built the bridge, originally in

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Toll road, a type of road which for which payment is required for passage ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road to ...

form. The bridge was destroyed by

drifting ice Drifting may refer to: *Drifting (motorsport) *Pipe drift or drifting, measuring a pipe's inner roundness Film * ''Drifting'' (1923 film), a film directed by Tod Browning * ''Drifting'' (1982 film), the first Israeli gay-themed film * ''Drifting'' ...

in 1861. Five years later, John Williams and almost two thousand other people petitioned that the bridge be rebuilt, as a toll-free crossing, at the expense of

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

. The motion was authorized, and in 1868 a new, 2,050-foot-long bridge was completed. This bridge also carried the

Portland and Yarmouth Electric Railway Portland and Yarmouth Electric Railway was an electric trolleycar service that ran along the coast between Portland, Maine, Portland and Yarmouth, Maine, from 1898 and 1933. Described in 1901 as the "new electric road", Yarmouth was "now a close ...

between 1898 and 1933. The bridge was a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

in the 20th century. The Smelt Hill Dam, the first upriver dam from the bridge, was demolished in 2002. The process revealed the Presumpscot Falls for the first time in several hundred years.

References

{{Portland, Maine 1828 establishments in Maine Bridges completed in 2014 Casco Bay Bridges in Portland, Maine Buildings and structures in Falmouth, Maine Bridges in Cumberland County, Maine