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There may be few pieces of infrastructure better suited to Maine’s long, peninsula-filled coast — at least in spirit — than the swing bridge.
A swing bridge can carry vehicles over narrow bodies of water such as inlets, while also pivoting around a center support to create the space necessary for boats to pass by. The effect is similar to that of a drawbridge.
However, despite their seeming congruity with Maine’s craggy waterfronts, there are actually few swing bridges left in the state. But now, after a year and a half of construction, one of the last ones is expected to survive for another several decades.
Since October 2023, a state-led $20.9 million construction project has been rehabilitating the Southport Swing Bridge, which carries Route 27 over the Townsend Gut, the waterway between Boothbay Harbor and the island of Southport.
Crews have been making various upgrades to the bridge, which was built in the late 1930s. They have replaced some structures and mechanical equipment, overhauled its electrical and control system and added safety features, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.
While in peak operation during the summer, the Southport Swing Bridge opens every half-hour to allow boats through, said Adam Harkins, the public works director for Southport. Letting boats — especially slower ones like sailboats — pass through the bridge instead of going all the way around the island can save boaters hours.
“It’s a very high-volume swing bridge,” Harkins said.
Harkins said the project is on track to finish around mid-May, right on schedule.
The Southport bridge appears to be one of three remaining operational swing bridges in Maine, with the others located in Boothbay and Naples. The bridge in Boothbay, the Barters Island Bridge, was replaced in 2021 with a new swing bridge.
But the midcoast has lost at least one of them in recent years. In 2016, the swing bridge in South Bristol was replaced with a single-leaf bascule bridge, which is still moveable but operates more like a drawbridge.
To ensure the repairs in Southport are completed on time, the bridge, which is the only way on and off of the island, will be closed between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. on weeknights from the start of this week through April 25, according to the Boothbay Register.
However, emergency vehicles will still be allowed through during those closures, with the possibility of a short delay. And Harkins said exceptions will be made for locals who need to travel during those periods, although they’ll have to be patient while they wait for an opportunity to cross.
Harkins added that this will be the fourth or fifth overnight closure for the bridge since construction began.
“It’s mostly to keep the looky-loos and the people just driving around from slowing up [the workers’] progress. If they have to keep stopping and resituating every time someone comes to the bridge, you know, it slows that overnight process,” Harkins said.
But with a year-round population of fewer than 700, the town doesn’t have much late-night traffic anyway, Harkins said.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
