Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why did we restore this bridge?
Q. Who are the people and organizations who have worked on this project?
Q. What did it cost and what was the source of the funding?
Total cost: $710,000 by finish of project. The plan was that eighty percent from Federal Enhancement Grant and 20 percent locally fundraised money. The project received:
Q. How long have people been working on this project?
Q. When was the rehabilitation project completed?
A. Timeline for the project is below:
Q. Are donations tax deductible?
Donations to the Swinging Bridge Fund are tax deductible.
Our Federal Tax Identification Number is 26-2841417
Please make checks payable to: Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org
Our mailing address is:
2 Main Street, Suite 707, Topsham, ME 04086
- To restore this historic connection between Brunswick and Topsham and to protect a valuable historic asset in the community.
- To improve and promote access to the bridge with civic improvements in both Brunswick and Topsham.
- To facilitate pedestrian and bicycle movement between the towns by improving the safety of the bridge.
- To allow Topsham and Brunswick residents to use the bridge to travel (by bicycle, running or walking) the loop of trails and sidewalks for health or transportation.
- To provide access to the river views which are an important part of the gateway to Southern Midcoast Maine.
- To recognize the valuable link between towns the bridge has provided for over 100 years and to recognize the significance of a local engineering project designed by the firm of John A. Roebling’s Sons Company (designers/builders of the Brooklyn Bridge)
Q. Who are the people and organizations who have worked on this project?
- Swinging Bridge Fund Committee
- Brunswick Rotary Club
- Rotary Club of Topsham Expresso
- Maine Department of Transportation
- Town of Brunswick
- Town of Topsham
- Midcoast Council for Planning and Development
Q. What did it cost and what was the source of the funding?
Total cost: $710,000 by finish of project. The plan was that eighty percent from Federal Enhancement Grant and 20 percent locally fundraised money. The project received:
- $228,000 in Federal Transportation Enhancement funds
- $76,000 in bonds from the State of Maine
- Capital Campaign: $150,000 from the communities of Brunswick and Topsham, raised entirely from private sector.
- Cost estimates provided by engineers have raised the expected project costs to $520,000.
- Parks were not considered part of project. Local committee raised funds to design and install parks.
- As the price was adjusted upwards the committee raised more money and the Maine Department of Transportation allocated more funds. The total raised was over $610,000.
Q. How long have people been working on this project?
- 1999: Brunswick & Topsham commissioned a study of the feasibility to restore the bridge.
- 2000: Brunswick & Topsham Engineering Study Report of the Androscoggin Pedestrian Bridge completed
- April 2002: Joint committee formed to explore restoration and funding
- August 2002: Committee submits report to Towns
- April 2003: Project receives $304,000 from Federal Enhancement Grant Funds through Maine Department of Transportation
Q. When was the rehabilitation project completed?
A. Timeline for the project is below:
- May 2003: Leadership fundraising campaign starts
- May 2003: Community Capital Campaign starts
- January 2004: Placed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Spring 2005: Estimated restoration work begins Revised Dates
- November 2005: Estimated completion and opening to the public. Revised Dates
- December 2006: Open to the public
- Summer 2007: Park-like entrances will be completed
- September 8, 2007 Grand Re-opening and Dedication
- May 19, 2011 Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) dedicated the bridge as a Maine historical civil engineering landmark
Q. Are donations tax deductible?
Donations to the Swinging Bridge Fund are tax deductible.
Our Federal Tax Identification Number is 26-2841417
Please make checks payable to: Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org
Our mailing address is:
2 Main Street, Suite 707, Topsham, ME 04086