Androscoggin Swinging Bridge - News

Annual Appeal

5/20/2021

In weeks previous, we’ve talked about how this year we won’t be holding our annual 5K event, and other ways we’ve been raising funds for the Swinging Bridge. This week, we’re going to bring you all up to speed on one major way you can help your favorite footbridge— the first of our annual appeals!

Starting this year, we will be sending out annual appeals for donations for the Swinging Bridge. Anyone on our mailing list will receive a postcard adorned with a gorgeous photograph of the Swinging Bridge, requesting a donation to support the bridge. How do you receive one of these lovely postcards? Well, if you’ve ever made a donation or participated in one of our 5K events, you’re already on our mailing list! If you haven’t donated before, if you might have changed your mailing address, or you just want to make sure you’re on our list, fill out this form here!

If you donate $50 or more, you’ll receive a free T-shirt as a thank you for your generosity! Of course, you can always donate to have an engraved brick set into the parks! For more details, click here.

So make sure to watch your mailboxes and get your donation in when the time comes! As always, we thank you for your generosity and your support. You are what keeps the Swinging Bridge swinging!

JOIN THE MAILING LIST

The Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit formed in 2008 to ensure the maintenance and beatification of the historic pedestrian bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham. In 1892, the Swinging Bridge was originally designed and built by the Roebling Co., (legendary designers and constructors of wire rope suspension bridges).

Bricks for the Bridge - Donation Deadline Extended

5/20/2021

We’re fairly confident that you have a good understanding of how the brick donations work by now. Simply visit here, and a donation of $100 will grant you a two-line engraving of your choice, or $200 for three lines (15 characters per line) , ensuring that the name of your family member, loved one, organization, or even your pet will be set into the parks at the base of the Swinging Bridge. And without our annual 5K event, the engraved bricks have become even more essential this year.

We’re sharing a few updates! First and foremost, we have a new manufacturer of bricks based in New Hampshire. This cuts the turnaround time from brick ordering down to less than a month!

“In addition to donating our time and our effort, we believe that it’s important that we donate money to keep the Swinging Bridge swinging far into the future.” -Nancy E. Randolph

To that end, we’re extending our deadline for ordering bricks for the 2021 season to July 31st! Of course, you’re free to put in your donation for an engraved brick at any time in the year, but with the improved turnaround time, any bricks ordered before July 31st will be installed in the parks before the cold sets in!

So make sure to donate for your own engraved brick by July 31st if you want it installed in the parks this year! And as always, we thank you for your donations and your support!

DONATE FOR YOUR ENGRAVED BRICK HERE

Of course, if you don’t want to donate for an engraved brick, we will happily accept donations of any amount here.

The Save Our Swinging Bridge.Org, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit formed in 2008 to ensure the maintenance and beatification of the historic pedestrian bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham. In 1892, the Swinging Bridge was originally designed and built by the Roebling Co., (legendary designers and constructors of wire rope suspension bridges).

Join Trails Day Celebration at the Swinging Bridge

5/6/2021

It’s been a long year. Long winter, long spring, and an even longer 2020. But the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight and the world is starting to open up again. So since the CDC has declared it safe to be maskless outdoors, why don’t we get together to celebrate National Trails Day and take care of our favorite footbridge?

Walking on the bridge, sitting on one of the benches in the parks or just walking through the parks is a wonderful way to release stress and see the world through a more optimistic lens. People just like you have kept this bridge from falling into disrepair.

Organized by the American Hiking Society, National Trails Day is an annual day of public events aimed at advocating for, maintaining, and cleaning up public lands and trails, and while the Swinging Bridge is not itself a trail, it is at the centerpiece of a couple of walking paths that lead through Brunswick and Topsham. Of course, the Androscoggin Riverwalk crosses our bridge. So for National Trails Day, Saturday, June 5th, let’s get together and help clean up the Swinging Bridge parks!

Cleaning around these brand-new rails will help keep the bridge swinging.

We’ve got a whole list of little outdoorsy things that need to get done around the bridge--cleaning and weeding flowerbeds in the parks on both sides, cleaning around the channels to prevent corrosion on the rails we just had replaced, planting more flowers and shrubs, and other cleanup and maintenance tasks. No gardening experience required! We will also be removing invasive plants including bittersweet, multiflora rose, and honeysuckle to prevent them from overtaking the parks.

You can sign up RIGHT NOW by filling out this Google Form!

What: Workday

When: Saturday, June 5

Where: Meet at the Topsham Swinging Bridge parking lot

Time: 10 a.m to 1 p.m.

Who: Willing supporters of the Swinging Bridge

Bring: Gloves, rakes, other garden tools as well as garden carts & wheelbarrows

Why: Because you love the bridge!

Don't forget to pack a lunch!

The Board of the Save Our Swinging Bridge Org will provide water and snacks for all volunteers! But make sure to bring a packed lunch and stick around after the work is done, and we’ll enjoy the day’s accomplishments together and you can meet others who love our historic bridge. So bring your lunchbox and your folding chair!

We’re looking forward to finally seeing you in person for National Trails Day on Saturday, June 5th!

SIGN UP FOR TRAIL DAY CLEANUP HERE

CDC GUIDELINES:

Please note that while the CDC’s mask guidelines have been relaxed, and mask wearing outdoors is no longer required, we urge you to take precautions and remain socially distanced while outdoors if you are not yet vaccinated.

For more information, please visit the CDC’s website here.

Future Fundraising - No 5K For 2021

4/22/2021

Welcome back! While in past weeks we’ve been sharing history, fundraisers, and updates on the progress of the repairs to the bridge, this week we’d like to share with you some updates on our plans to raise the necessary funds to keep our favorite bridge swinging.

Most of you are likely wondering about our annual 5K run and 2K walk fundraiser, since it’s something of the centerpiece of our annual fundraising efforts. Last year, we were forced to postpone the event and we ended up running a virtual 5K in September. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to host our annual 5K fundraiser, and we’ll be looking to other means of raising funds for the Swinging Bridge. To that end, we’ll be sending along postcards requesting donations to everyone on our mailing list! Each one will be adorned with a beautifully rendered image of the Swinging Bridge, and whether you signed up on our website or we have your address from a previous year’s 5K event, or if you’ve ever donated, if we have your address on file, you’ll receive a postcard! If you aren’t on our mailing list but you want to get one of these postcards, sign up for our mailing list here.

Anyone who donates $50 or more will also receive a free T-shirt as a thank you for your generous contribution! And of course we are still offering engravings on bricks set into the parks at either end of the bridge. A donation of $100 gets you a two-line engraving, and a $200 donation gets you three lines. To learn more about donating for engraved bricks, click here.

As for further plans, we’re going to be redesigning our website with a more mobile-friendly layout! As it happens, more people have been accessing this site via their phones as opposed to their computers, so we’ll be changing up the website to accommodate these supporters. In addition, we’ll be using Flipcause to make online donations easier, streamline keeping track of donations, facilitate error-free ordering of engraved bricks, and more easily provide the IRS notification of donation to individual donors.

Make sure to keep watching this space for updates and as always, we thank you for your generosity and support.

Bricks for the Bridge

4/15/2021

We all support the Swinging Bridge in our own way. Some of us participate in the annual 5K events, some donate money, others volunteer their time to help run events or maintain the bridge. For those who want their assistance to come in a more permanent form, consider the engraved bricks.

Set into the parks of the Swinging Bridge, these bricks are engraved with the name chosen by the donor―A friend, family member, organization, or even a pet can be memorialized in an engraving seen by those who traverse the Swinging Bridge.

“Do you live in a neighborhood where people smile at one another, stop for a chat during a walk, or do kind deeds for no other reason but that they care? I do,” says Pat Maloney, who herself has donated to have a brick engraved.

“In each of our neighborhoods, I suspect there is one person or one family who brings us together. How do you show your gratitude for living in such a neighborhood and for honoring that one person or family who somehow unites us? Of course, they have everything and what do we really need anyway? Well, that gift came to me―a brick for the bridge! With thanks to the Swinging Bridge volunteers, there is now one brick on the Topsham side that honors a family who truly cares. Do stop by and see if you can find their brick and enjoy a walk across the river.”

If you’d like to donate to have an engraved brick at the Swinging Bridge, click here to download the donation form. Our next installation will be in the fall, and the deadline for brick donations is July 31st.

The Swinging Bridge Needs Your Vote!

4/15/2021

April is National Volunteer Month! And as is well known, one of the most important parts of the machine that keeps the Swinging Bridge aloft are the many volunteers who donate their time to put up signs, staff our events, and do whatever else is needed to facilitate the funding, repair, and maintenance of our favorite footbridge!

In honor of volunteers across the state of Maine, the Atlantic Federal Credit Union is holding a vote to determine which volunteer organization will earn $1000. With your help, that could be Save Our Swinging Bridge.org!

Atlantic FCU is taking votes for which volunteer organization will be granted a prize of $1000, and you can cast your vote on their website! Simply visit them here, find the picture for Save Our Swinging Bridge.org, and click on it to cast your vote!

$1,000 can go quite a long way to helping the Swinging Bridge. It can buy a coat of paint for the towers, it can replace one-third of the planks on the span, or it can be used to pay in part for any number of larger expenses- engineering, inspection, or steelwork. On behalf of us here at SOSB and the volunteers who make it all happen, thank you for your vote and your continued support!

VISIT ATLANTIC FCU AND VOTE FOR SOSB.ORG

Repairs, Rails, and Requests: The Future of the Swinging Bridge

4/1/2021

Welcome back! If you remember, a few months ago we took you on a tour of bridge maintenance and what work needed to be done that your participation in our Virtual 5K helped us fund. This week, we're going to share with you the progress of those repairs and what needs to still be done!

To start, we're happy to report that repairs are coming along on schedule. Because of weather and temperature conditions, not all the necessary repairs could be completed during the winter. However, the winter repairs have been completed, and spring work is on the docket to start very soon. The winter repairs included, among other things:

Repairs to the broken weld on the northeast anchor bolt on the Topsham tower
Replacing 40 loose, soft, or degraded deck boards
Replacing broken lacing bars in the horizontal struts at the Brunswick tower
Ensuring eye bolt connections on all floor beams were tightened
Replacement of rails at the bottom of the Brunswick tower

These have been completed by CPM Constructors of Freeport and they will be painting soon. The town of Brunswick will be paying for the remaining work on the Brunswick tower, while SOSB will be paying for the rest of the bridge work.

New rail installed at the base of the Brunswick tower.

40 brand new deck boards now adorn the span of the bridge.

It appears that repairs will come under projected costs, but Nancy E Randolph, Treasurer of the Swinging Bridge cautioned, “The repair fund is drained to an uncomfortable level, knowing that there are always repairs and maintenance to be done on our beloved bridge.”

Again this year we won’t be able to schedule our annual benefit 5K event, following CDC guidelines, so we’re calling on everyone who loves the Swinging Bridge to show your support with any amount you can, to be added to the repair fund. We have a special gift for those who donate $50 or more, a T-shirt designed for those who showed support during the pandemic. As always, you can donate to have an engraved brick installed at the base of the bridge. For details on brick donation, click here.

The people of Topsham and Brunswick continue to love, use, and support this historic bridge. All donations large and small will keep our bridge swinging far into the future.

DONATE TO SUPPORT THE SWINGING BRIDGE

This Bridge Swings Over the Androscoggin

3/25/2021

The History of the Swinging Bridge as Featured In Memories of Maine Magazine

Built in 1892, the Swinging Bridge has served many thousands of people of all ages. Photo Nancy E. Randolph

Originally built to accommodate woolen mill workers from a new housing development in the 17th Century, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge (Swinging Bridge) has served many thousands of people of all ages who have used it to walk back and forth to school, to church, to entertainments, to visit family and friends, to shop, and recreation. It is an integral part of the Topsham and Brunswick community and a popular stopping point for people driving along Route 1 who want a scenic view of the Androscoggin River or a peaceful pause in their vacation travel.

Completed in September of that year, the final construction costs tallied up to about $2,000, which, adjusted for inflation, would be about $56,700. The Topsham Land Company had intended for the bridge to be accepted as a public way when the bridge became a common necessity. They did not promise to maintain it.

After many years of refusing to accept the swinging bridge as a public way, in 1906, the Swinging Bridge was so designated. Brunswick and Topsham became jointly responsible for bridge maintenance. Between 1913 and 1916, the bridge’s timber-framed towers were replaced with steel presumably by South Portland steel fabrication company Meguire & Jones.

Disaster struck in 1936 as a flood destroyed the bridge’s decking and railings, sweeping away the entire deck and rendering it completely unusable. However, the steel towers and original suspension cables survived. The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) replaced the span and resurfaced the bases of the towers with concrete in 1938.

In 1936 a flood destroyed the bridge’s decking and railings, sweeping away the entire deck. Paul Cunningham collection

This would be the last significant repair the bridge would receive until the turn of the 21st century. In 2000, a study jointly contracted by Brunswick and Topsham found the bridge in a distressing state: concrete abutments cracked, wood planks rotted, and rust covering every metal component.

With pedestrian traffic limited to twenty people and the bridge not expected to survive into 2010, Brunswick and Topsham appointed a committee of residents from both towns to raise funds and restore the bridge. The citizen’s group did just that. Securing finances from the Maine Department of Transportation as well as corporate grants and private funds, the group oversaw renovation and restoration of the swinging bridge, reopening it to the public 2006.

Kathryn G. Dodge, Ph.D., a great, great, great granddaughter of John A. Roebling, spoke during the grand-reopening of the Swinging Bridge in 2007. Photo Craig Snapp

Over the years, although nearly all the bridge’s components had been replaced—from the handrails, to the planks, to the beams—the original “Roebling wire rope” cables built into the structure in 1892 still support the bridge. The year after the 21st Century superstructure rehabilitation, saw the opening of public parks on either end of the bridge. Two of John A. Roebling’s great-great-great granddaughters attended the reopening and dedication ceremony on September 8, 2007.

The Androscoggin Swinging Bridge now spans the Androscoggin Riverwalk, enjoying routine foot traffic from Brunswick and Topsham--locals and tourists alike. In 2009, three citizens, Elizabeth Glover (Brunswick), Roger Caouette (Topsham), and Nancy E. Randolph (Topsham) created a 501(c)3 nonprofit: the Save Our Swinging Bridge Org with a mission to provide for the maintenance and the beautification of the historic Androscoggin Swinging Bridge and its environment in order that the public may enjoy the benefits of an historic pedestrian bridge for transportation, education, recreation, exercise, access to river views and community and cultural linkage between the towns of Brunswick and Topsham.

Maintenance continues even during the pandemic. CPM Constructors with the guidance of Hoyle- Tanner Engineers inspected the bridge and performed all needed repairs (respectively). Funds for repairs are raised through annual 5k runs and 2k walks, donations for engraved bricks and contributions throughout the year.

This bridge is historic and an area icon that people support and use all year round. Donations will keep it swinging far into the future.

This article was featured in the March 2021 issue of Memories of Maine Magazine. You can pick up your copy at your local retailer of magazines, or you can subscribe on their website!

Memories of Maine Magazine

Donate to Support the Swinging Bridge

We Love the Swinging Bridge

3/11/2021

Welcome back! It’s been some time since our last update, and with all the repairs it’s been a busy time for the Swinging Bridge. And to kick off this cycle of updates, we thought we’d take a look at some of the love you’ve all shown in photos for our favorite suspension footbridge!

Now, many of you probably don’t need to use Google Maps to get to the Swinging Bridge. Most of us can just find our way there simply enough on foot. But if you go to the Google Maps page for the bridge, you’ll find something slightly spectacular—a sweeping gallery of pictures people have shared over the years, showing their love for the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge!

Photo by Melissa C.

All times, all seasons, from many different angles, people come to the Swinging Bridge and take pictures and share them with the world. Some are taken from the base of the bridge, some from the span, some from a distance, or maybe of the surrounding scenery. Someone might come to the bridge to strike a pose, or bring their family. Dogs are popular subjects for pictures, as are the local population of ducks.

And best of all, you can go to Google Maps yourself and add your own! Simply find the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge on Google Maps—or just follow this link- and upload your own pictures to Google Maps!

Thank you for all the ways you show your love for the Swinging Bridge. Keep an eye out for more updates, because we’ve got plenty in store—status of the repairs, what’s next for the bridge, and how you can support it!

Don't forget, you can always support the Swinging Bridge by donating!

Bridge Repairs Begun

11/21/2020

Repairs on the Swinging Bridge have begun! The bridge is currently closed to foot traffic and will open no later than December 16, so this year’s round of repairs can be completed. For this update, we’d like to give you a tour of the bridge repairs to see just how your contributions are helping this Maine landmark thrive.

This year’s inspection was conducted by Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, and their observations were passed along to us to guide our use of the funds for repairs. Now, we’d like to take a moment to emphasize that while we’re about to give a play-by-play of various damages and stresses the Swinging Bridge needs fixed, that this is all pretty routine. Repairs and maintenance are the reason we do what we do in the first place, and all in all, this roundup of bridge maintenance required will probably sound worse than it actually is. So as you read through this list of things that need fixing on the Swinging Bridge, keep in mind--they are being fixed even as you read these words!

Of the most concern is the Brunswick tower--noted as being in poor condition--the double channels at the base of the downstream tower have dirt and debris causing rust with a number of worn rivet heads, with a noticeable deflection of the channel webs. The lacing bars in the horizontal bracing members are rusted and broken, and the easterly inclined column has a deformed flange. The lacing bars in the horizontal bracing members have rusted and broken, and the diagonal bracing members have been cut and spliced with steel plates on a previous repair.

The base of the Brunswick tower, with worn rivet heads and rust.

The Topsham tower is in better condition having gone through a upgrade prior to the 2006 total rehabilitation, although the upstream saddle has a crack forming in the corner. The connections of the bracing members have rust and laminar corrosion, and the welded connection to the sotheasterly anchor bolt has failed, with the bolt no longer attached to the base plate.

A worn deck board, soon to be replaced.

The condition of the deck was noticed to be satisfactory, though there are numerous boards which are split, warped, and/or springy underfoot, with multiple fasteners that need replacement or adjusting. Luckily, as we wrote last time, Hammond Lumber has generously donated the wood necessary to fix the span. The bridge rail is in good condition, and while there is some surface rust the rail posts and fence don’t appear to be deteriorating.

The main cables, suspenders, secondary cables, and their connections were considered to be in fair condition. The main cables show some paint failure and corrosion, and several wires have broken along the main cables. The secondary cables are slack to the touch and kinked at several places along the main cables, where they’re attached to the suspenders with wire rope clamps.

A bridge cable, showing evidence of rust.

While the main cables are laid smoothly over the tower saddles, the secondary cables share the same saddle and ended up laid atop the main cables, with the secondary cables spliced directly over the saddle on the Topsham side, resulting in congestion at a critical location

The abutments and anchor vaults are in fair condition, with cracks in the concrete and debris and sand in the vaults, which needs to be cleaned to keep the steel hardware inside dry. The longitudinal stringers are in good condition with no decay, and the transverse floorbeams are likewise in good condition, though physical inspection showed there to be some surface rust.

And that about sums it up the key points of maintenance needed on the bridge! As the repair crews take the time to address these issues and others, we’d like to thank you again for your contributions that helped make these repairs happen, whether you donated to have a name engraved on a brick in the base of the bridge, or you ran in our Virtual 5K, or even just kicked in a few dollars where you could, you helped make these repairs happen. Something to keep in mind when you visit the bridge when it opens again in December!

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