It was, admittedly, not an easy decision to choose to hold our annual fundraiser as a virtual 5K & 2K this year. We considered a number of options, including postponing it until life resumes a sort of normalcy, but what it comes down to is that the gathering situation doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon, and the Swinging Bridge still needs our support, so our solution of holding the fundraiser in the safest way possible ended up being an effective compromise. And while doing it this way might seem limiting in some respects, this week, we’re going to be exploring the opportunities of doing a 5K in this new way. If you’re not familiar with what a virtual 5K is or how to participate this year, check out our previous blog post on how we’re handling the event this year!

Last week’s blog post was centered around the history of the Swinging Bridge and the formation of the group that preserves it to this day. This week, we’re focusing on the present- specifically, what goes into the upkeep of the bridge.

The Androscoggin Swinging Bridge is inspected for wear and damage every five years, and this year will be receiving another--one slightly overdue, in fact, but we’re a year or two behind. So we’re sharing with you a little peek behind the curtain, going into how the bridge is inspected, how it’s repaired, and how your donations make it happen.

After the towers, abutments, and cables are inspected, the engineer’s eye is turned to the span, where pins, bolts, and welds are checked for looseness or missing pieces. Coating damage is noted, cables are checked for deterioration, wood is checked for loose or rotting pieces, and supports, brackets, beams, and bracing are checked. The span itself is checked for alignment as well.

For this week’s blog, we’ve decided to shift focus a bit. Last week, we discussed the ins and outs of running a virtual 5k and how we’re handling ours this year. Today, we’d like to share the history behind why we do these runs in the first place--the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge itself.

It was in 1891 that the Topsham Land Company decided that a footbridge across the Androscoggin River would be a safer, more direct route for workers traveling to Brunswick’s Cabot cotton mill rather than the two existing vehicle bridges. Thinking that the bridge would add enough value to their lots for it to be a worthwhile investment, they contracted with the John A. Roebling Sons Co, who’d designed the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, to build it. Once the Cabot Manufacturing Co. granted an easement that allowed the bridge to connect on the Brunswick side, construction began May 19, 1892.

In 1906, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge was given the designation, and Brunswick and Topsham became jointly responsible for bridge maintenance. Between 1913 and 1916, the bridge’s timber-framed towers were replaced with steel, possibly by South Portland steel fabrication company Mequier & Jones.

 This would be the last significant repair the bridge would receive until the turn of the century. In 2000, a study found the bridge in a distressing state of disrepair--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 came together to appoint a committee of residents of both towns to attempt to accrue funds and restore the bridge to a usable state. Securing finances from the Department of Transportation as well as private funds, the group oversaw renovation and restoration of the swinging bridge, reopening it to the public 2006.

Though nearly every one of the bridge’s components had been replaced by this point, from the handrails to the boards to the beams, the original “ Roebling wire rope” cables built into the structure in 1892 still span the bridge to this day. The next year saw the opening of public parks on either end of the bridge. On September 8, 2007, a reopening and dedication ceremony saw the attendance of two of John A. Roebling’s great-great-great granddaughters.

In January of 2004, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In May 2011, the bridge was dedicated as a Maine Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.