Jan 4th, 2018 : Maineiac Bridge

Maine, like much of New England, has some unique infrastructure off the beaten path.

Wire bridge at New Portland, Maine. Apparently there are two stories of when this bridge was built.
One says 1840-42, the other later, 1860-62. It is the only one remaining of four that were built in the area around the same time.
Suspension bridges were not new, they had been built in various locations in the world before the turn of the 19th century.

Its span is a healthy 190 feet but only one lane wide. One car at a time please, as the bridge flexes considerably with the weight of a vehicle.
Although it has been refurbished several times, the wooden towers and main 4 inch diameter steel wires are still original.

The cable is original but that anchor in the ground must have been replaced more than once.
Hope you're not in a hurry waiting for someone to walk their bike across the bridge. :rolleyes:

link

You can get it swaying ever so slightly if you walk out there as a group and synchronize your own swaying. Very little traffic on it. Like one or two cars an hour.

Nice find Bruce!

Them bridge things are sure photogenic.
Videos and pics of this beaut in all seasons at Google Images.

Shout out to my cool parents. I noticed our shadows in the water while walking across that bridge and wanted to take an artsy photo. So my mom and dad at age 60 jumped up onto the little cable guard rail to make the picture more interesting. I reached up with one hand to a support cable to make myself look more dynamic as I took the picture, and so did my wife, but my parents were all on board. Like a couple of monkeys or something.
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Nice! I figured you had cool parents. :)