Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. Why did we restore this bridge? 

• 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