Brightman Street Bridge (Fall River, Massachusetts)

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This double-leaf bascule bridge was opened to traffic on October 10, 1908. It was the second bridge built over the Taunton River between Fall River and Somerset, and was made to alleviate traffic on the two-lane Slade's Ferry Bridge downriver. Currently, work is progressing on the bridge's replacement upriver, and after many delays it should be finished by 2012. The new bridge is higher, so that it should only need to be opened for coal tankers bringing loads to the Montaup Electric plant just to the north. The current bridge needs to open for any sailboats, fishing boats or any other high boats that wish to go upriver.

The Brightman is also key in the debate involving Weaver's Cove, a gas facility in Fall River that has been trying for years to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility for Hess. Currently, the tankers cannot make it through the Brightman, and the town and the city have vowed to not tear down the 101-year old bridge in order to block progress on the LNG facility.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightman_Street_Bridge
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Coordinates:   41°43'25"N   71°9'19"W

Comments

  • This is not the "Taunton River Bridge," but the "Brightman Street Bridge." It opened on October 10, 1908.
This article was last modified 3 years ago