The Veterans Memorial 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- o ...

connecting

Somerset, Massachusetts Somerset is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,303 at the 2020 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland (1883–1924), the chief engineer and namesake of t ...

and

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...

. The bridge carries U.S. Route 6 and Route 138 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 there it ...

, with connecting ramps to Route 79, and includes a bike path on its north side. The $290 million bridge was dedicated to area veterans on September 11, 2011. The bike path was also dedicated in a separate ceremony that same day in honor of Pvt. Michael E. Bouthot, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. The Veterans Memorial Bridge now serves as the pathway for Route 6 and Route 138 to cross the river into Fall River. Other than the Berkley-Dighton Bridge 8½ miles to the north, it is the only non-highway bridge spanning the river between Fall River and

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

. Along with the

Braga Bridge The Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge, also known as the Braga Bridge, or simply, The Braga, is a Truss bridge, through truss bridge that carries Interstate 195 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts), Interstate 195 over the Taunton River between the ...

, it is one of the two major crossings of the river. This has led to the bridge having vital importance anytime there is a problem on the Braga; since the northern detour takes approximately twenty miles and the southern detour (over the Mount Hope Bridge and the Sakonnet River Bridge) is over twenty-five miles, it immediately becomes the major path for people coming in and out of the city, and vice versa.

Name

Before being named, this bridge was known as the replacement Brightman Street Bridge. The name "Miguel Corte-Real Bridge" was also suggested for use on the new bridge. On November 13, 2009, Chapter 140 of the Acts of 2009 became law, officially naming this bridge the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

History

Planning for this bridge started no later than 1998, but was delayed due to its funding being siphoned off by the

Big Dig The Big Dig was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the then elevated Central Artery of Interstate 93 that cut across Boston into the O'Neill Tunnel and built the Ted Williams Tunnel to extend Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90 to Logan I ...

project. Construction finally began in May 2007. After much delay, the dedication ceremony for the bridge occurred on September 11, 2011. The westbound lanes opened to traffic on September 12, 2011, with the eastbound lanes opening on October 11, 2011.Herald News, October 11, 2011

Gallery

Image:New Brightman Street Bridge.JPG, The construction site of the new Brightman Street bridge as of June 2008 File:VMB center span.jpg, Center span under construction, August 2010 File:Veterans Memorial Bridge, Fall River MA.jpg, View of the roadway from the pedestrian path

Bridge features

The Veterans Memorial Bridge features upgrades from the previous Brightman Street Bridge, including a much wider walkway/bikeway and fishing pier. The center span is also significantly taller and wider than the Brightman's, decreasing the frequency of traffic delays from the bridge opening due to a passing boat underneath.

References

External links

MassHighway project status page

Deep Foundations Institute article (commercial)

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