Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge

The Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge (also known as the Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge) is a vertical lift bridge in Bourne, Massachusetts near Buzzards Bay that carries railroad traffic across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the mainland.

The bridge was constructed beginning in 1933 by the Public Works Administration from a design by firms Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff, and Douglas as well as Mead and White (both of New York), for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which operates both the bridge and the canal.

The bridge has a 544-foot (166 m) main span, with a 135-foot (41 m) clearance when raised,[1] uses 1,100-short-ton (1,000 t)[3] counterweights on each end, and opened on December 29, 1935.

At the time of its completion, it was the longest vertical lift span in the world.

In 2002, the bridge underwent a major rehabilitation, including replacement of cables, machinery, and electrical systems, at a cost of $30 million and was reopened in 2003.

Bridge after construction, December 1935
The U.S. Navy frigate USS Underwood passing under the bridge
Cape Cod canal railroad bridge opening