This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2020) |
The Million Dollar Bridge was a bascule bridge built in 1916 which carried traffic on Route 77 over the Fore River in Maine between Portland and South Portland.[1]
Million Dollar Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Million Dollar Bridge behind the then-under-construction Casco Bay Bridge. | |
| Coordinates | 43°38′41″N 70°15′24″W / 43.644647°N 70.25656°W |
| Carries |  SR 77 and pedestrians |
| Crosses | Fore River |
| Locale | Portland, Maine, South Portland, Maine |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Girder Bascule |
| Clearance below | 24 feet (7.3 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1916 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 30,000 vehicles per day |
| Location | |
 | |
Permits to construct the Million Dollar Bridge were issued by the Secretary of War in 1893.[1] The bridge was designed in 1914 and opened to traffic in 1916.[1] The bascule span provided a horizontal clearance of 100 ft (30 m).[1] Originally owned by Cumberland County, the bridge was transferred to the Maine Department of Transportation in 1959.[1]
In 1993, construction began on Casco Bay Bridge, a replacement for the Million Dollar Bridge.[1] The Casco Bay Bridge is a higher bascule bridge, with an alignment just east of the Million Dollar Bridge.[1] During construction of the new bridge, the Million Dollar Bridge was hit by the Liberian Tankship Julie N. on September 27, 1996, and emergency repairs were made.[1] The Casco Bay Bridge opened in 1997.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Post accident testing for alcohol and other drugs in the marine industry and the ramming of the Portland-South Portland (Million Dollar) bridge at Portland, Maine, by the Liberian tankship Julie N on September 27, 1996 | Special Investigation Report (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 1998. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ Collins, Kate Irish (5 November 2015). "State's plans for Casco Bay Bridge raising red flags". Press Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
External links
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Media related to Million Dollar Bridge (Maine) at Wikimedia Commons