Towns look for money to save historic bridge

BRUNSWICK – A historic footbridge that connects Brunswick and Topsham over the Androscoggin River could be in jeopardy in a few years, and the towns now are trying to figure out how to preserve it.

The so-called “Swinging Bridge” has been around for 110 years and is one of two suspension pedestrian bridges left in Maine. A recent engineering study said the bridge will need an overhaul in about five years at a cost of $360,000.

The two towns are forming a committee to determine from where that money will come.

“I know it’s a lot of money, but once something like that is gone, then it’s gone forever,” said Roger Caouette, a Topsham selectman. “Wishing it would come back after it’s gone is too late. I think the will [to raise the money] is there.”

Earle Shettleworth, director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, said the towns should consider having his agency nominate the bridge to the National Register of Historic Places. If the bridge is designated as a historic site, it could leverage funds from private foundations or federal agencies.

“It’s a good candidate for the National Register,” Shettleworth said. “Such structures in Maine are rare now. They are symbols of the Industrial Revolution in Maine.”

The Swinging Bridge got its name because it sways back and forth when people walk over it.

It was constructed in 1892 by John A. Roebling Sons, the same company that built the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. It now is owned jointly by Brunswick and Topsham.

The only other suspension pedestrian bridge in Maine is the Two-Cent Bridge that crosses the Kennebec River and connects Waterville to Winslow.

Caouette, the Topsham selectman, said his father told him the Swinging Bridge was paid for by the owners of the former Cabot Mill so millworkers could walk to their jobs.