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East Machias River Bridge

Washington County, Maine

Photos 

View East-Southeast Across Bridge

Photo taken by Brian Vanden Brink for the Historic American Engineering Record

View photos at Library of Congress

BH Photo #224717

Map 

Street View 

Description 

The Pope Memorial Bridge is the fourth bridge in this location to cross the East Machias River, and the first to be constructed of reinforced concrete. The structure is a critical component of U.S. Route 1 as it links the central part of Washington County and the remainder of the state with the seacoast and the northeastern reaches of Maine. The graceful design of the three-arch, closed spandrel concrete structure is the work of Leonard Metcalf, a preeminent civil engineer and bridge designer of this period. The bridge was the first reinforced concrete arch bridge constructed in Maine, and is believed to be the oldest concrete bridge of any type still in use in the state. The construction of the bridge was privately financed by three descendants of William Pope and his seven sons, early settlers and entrepreneurs of East Machias, to whom the bridge is dedicated.

-- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts 

Overview
Concrete arch bridge over East Machias River on US 1 in East Machias
Location
Washington County, Maine
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1902; rehabilitated 1998
Builder
- Leonard Metcalf
Design
Arch
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 39.0 ft.
Total length: 139.1 ft.
Deck width: 42.0 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+44.73915, -67.38887   (decimal degrees)
44°44'21" N, 67°23'20" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
19/627556/4955236 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Machias
Average daily traffic (as of 2016)
2,979
Inventory numbers
ME 2682 (Maine bridge number)
BH 19924 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of December 2017)
Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 83.1 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

Arch (11,550)
Built 1902 (481)
Built during 1900s (6,834)
Deck arch (10,799)
Have street view (25,503)
Leonard Metcalf (1)
Maine (667)
 NR-listed (2,881)
Open (38,324)
Owned by state (15,225)
Span length 25-50 feet (15,031)
Total length 125-175 feet (5,678)
US 1 (103)
Washington County, Maine (33)

Update Log 

  • February 6, 2012: HAER photos posted by Jason Smith
  • April 13, 2010: Updated by Nathan Holth: Fixed GPS

Sources 

  • Nathan Holth
  • HAER ME-61 - Pope Memorial Bridge, Spanning East Machias River at U.S. Route 1, East Machias, Washington County, ME

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