Bourne Bridge

The Bourne Bridge in Bourne, Massachusetts, carries Route 28 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts. It won the American Institute of Steel Construction's Class "A" Award of Merit as the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in 1934.Most traffic approaching from the west follows Massachusetts Route 25, which ends at the interchange with US 6/Route 28 just north of the bridge, and provides freeway connections from Interstate 495 and Interstate 195.There is a six-foot wide sidewalk for pedestrian and bicycle access on the west side of the bridge. The sidewalk is slightly raised, but there is no fence or barrier between the sidewalk and car traffic. Cyclists are recommended to walk their bicycle. Although the bridge road is plowed in winter, the sidewalk is sometimes unplowed and unpassable.During relatively high winds of 70MPH or above due to bad weather, bridges to the Cape are sometimes closed for safety.HistoryThe bridge, along with its sibling, the Sagamore Bridge, was constructed beginning in 1933 by the Public Works Administration for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which operates both the bridges and the canal. Each bridge carries four lanes of traffic over a 616-foot (188 m) main span, with a 135-foot (41 m) ship clearance. Construction ended in early 1935 and then opened on June 22, 1935. Due to the topography of the land, however, the approaches to the main span of the Bourne Bridge are considerably longer than those of the Sagamore Bridge.