The vessel made surprisingly little noise as it came up behind us Wednesday night. Maybe the barge reflected the noise of the two Fournier Tractor tugboats down river.
On board the barge, two huge cranes. That they were heading up to Cianbro could mean only one thing: they'd finished taking down the towers of the Waldo Hancock Bridge. The top of the second tugboat is barely visible in front of the crane.
The Waldo Hancock Bridge was built in 1931*. It was the first long span construction bridge built in Maine, and the first to use Vierendeeltruss in its towers. The first time I remember crossing the bridge was in 1980 on a bike. I'm not a fan of heights, and I didn't particularly care for how the bridge rattled as trucks crossed over it. But I loved how it looked and how after it was closed, it became a home for osprey and peregrine falcons. In 2006 the Waldo Hancock Bridge was replaced by the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.
By June they were taking apart the towers.
And now even those cranes were done. The Maine DOT states that the concrete feet will remain and become river markers.
So long, I'm really going to miss the double bridge view.
I remember that bridge on our last visit to Maine on our way to paddle with you. We stopped along the highway and took pictures of ourselves with it in the backdrop. A pretty view. I even did a yoga pose with the view. What a big project to take down a bridge! Cheers from Canada.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got a picture there. I'm always inspired by your shots of yoga and such lovely locations. I think it is the blend of mind, body and nature which is so though provoking.
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