A rare, perfect marriage of form and function, the majestic vertical lift railroad bridge has been a landmark of the Cape Cod Canal and the village of Buzzards Bay for nearly 70 years. Constructed between 1933 and 1935 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, the bridge was designed to replace a smaller railroad bridge built in 1912, which could not accommodate the larger vessels that would be using the canal.
With a horizontal span of 544 feet, the Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge was the longest lift span in the world at the time of its construction. The span is normally kept in its raised position of 135 feet above mean high water to allow ship traffic to pass through unimpeded. Controls for the bridge are located in the north tower. Huge pulleys with 16-foot sheave wheels are located in the top of each tower, and each tower has 40 cables to lift a box filled with about 1,100 tons of concrete. Since the center span weighs about 2,200 tons, these boxes create a near-perfect counterbalance; therefore, only four 150-horsepower motors and an auxiliary motor are needed to raise or lower the central span in just two and half minutes.
The Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge is still considered to be the most aesthetic single-span vertical lift bridge in the world. Its distinctive features include open steel construction with Gothic scrolling and decorative tower cones topped with stainless steel globes. Aerial beacons are located on the spires and on the highest point of the central span.
A major renovation of the bridge was completed in 2003, restoring it to its original grandeur so that it may provide us with many more years of pleasure and dependable service.
