Martin's Point Bridge
Martin's Point Bridge | |
|---|---|
 The bridge viewed fromMackworth Pointin 2022, looking southwest | |
| Coordinates | 43°41′30″N70°14′42″W/ 43.691671740°N 70.244890°W |
| Carries |  US 1U.S. Route 1 |
| Crosses | Presumpscot River |
| Locale | Falmouth Foreside, MaineandPortland, Maine,U.S. |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 1,300 feet (396 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 2014 |
| Location | |
 | |
Martin's Point Bridgespans thePresumpscot RiverinMaine,United States, near the river’s mouth withCasco Bay.It connectsFalmouth Foreside,atMackworth Point,in the north, to theEast Deeringneighborhood ofPortland,atMartin's Point,in the south. 1,300 feet (400 m) in length,[1]it carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic ofU.S. Route 1.The bridge is two lanes, including a bicycle lane in each, with a pedestrian lane on the eastern side.[2]A similar plan for the western side of the bridge was abandoned.[2]
The bridge passes around 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west ofMackworth Islandand around 0.6 miles (0.97 km) east ofInterstate 295on the banks of the river. Route 1 joins I-295 a short distance to the south at the Veranda Streetinterchange.[3]
The first bridge was erected in 1828. Today's bridge, completed in 2014,[2]is the fifth iteration, replacing one that was built in 1943.
As of 2015, the bridge carries around 15,000 vehicles each day.[2]It is part of the 3,000-mile longEast Coast Greenwayconnecting Maine andFlorida.[4]
History[edit]
In 1807,Ammi Ruhamah Mitchelland others petitioned for a bridge to provide a crossing of the Presumpscot River at its mouth with Casco Bay. Due to theWar of 1812,plans for the bridge were put on hold.[5]
In 1828, the Proprietors of the Martin's Point Bridge committee built the bridge, originally intollform.[5]
The bridge was destroyed bydrifting icein 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 ofCumberland County.The motion was authorized, and in 1868 a new, 2,050-foot-long bridge was completed.[5]This bridge also carried thePortland and Yarmouth Electric Railwaybetween 1898 and 1933.[6]
The bridge was adrawbridgein the 20th century.[7][8]
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.[7]
References[edit]
- ^"Martin's Point Bridge – US Route 1 Over The Presumpscot River".stantec.Retrieved2022-08-18.
- ^abcdHall, William (2012-07-16)."Martin's Point Bridge between Portland, Falmouth will remain open during replacement".Press Herald.Retrieved2022-08-18.
- ^Veranda Street Bridge Replacement Project- Maine.gov
- ^"East Coast Greenway » Designated Trail List".greenway.org.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-06-07.Retrieved2016-06-06.
- ^abcWallace, Charlotte.""Martin's Point Bridge"".Portland Press Herald.
- ^Narcissus1912 (2018-10-17)."Narcissus 1912 Renovation Project: Maine Bicentennial - Portland Railroad - A History of Public Transportation in Portland, Maine 1860-1941".Narcissus 1912 Renovation Project.Retrieved2022-11-07.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ab"Martin's Point Bridge | Falmouth ME".falmouthme.org.Retrieved2022-08-18.
- ^"Martin's Point Bridge, 1942".Maine Memory Network.Retrieved2022-08-18.
