Frank J. Wood Bridge

The 1827 Bridge was the first bridge at this location to be supported by stone pillars.

There have been several bridges since the colonial days that have been adjacent to the site of Fort Andross, just below Brunswick Falls, on the Androscoggin river, separating the towns of Topsham and Brunswick, Maine.[2]

The First Bridge, as it was called, was built in the summer of 1796. It was built with wood and was swept away by a freshet (flood) in 1811. The 1811 Bridge was a second wooden bridge that was built, but was also swept away by a flood in 1827. The 1827 Bridge was a third bridge that was built of wood but with its foundation and piers made of stone. This bridge would also have a covered version but was destroyed by a fire in 1842. In 1871, the fourth bridge was built in an open style, and was a toll bridge. Shortly after completion, it was jointly purchased and taken over by the towns of Topsham and Brunswick, made toll free, and known as The Free Bridge. The fifth bridge, was built of light iron, but was swept away by yet another flood in 1896. The Topsham-Brunswick Bridge, also known as the sixth bridge, was constructed in 1897 using stronger iron. However, it was deemed unusable in 1927 following a flood. The Frank J. Wood Bridge opened in 1932 and was the seventh bridge to occupy the location.[2]

Frank J. Wood, was the proprietor of a farm in Topsham, Maine and wanted to extend his customer base to Brunswick, however the preceding bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1929 and deemed condemned.[3] Before the bridge was built, he petitioned the state to move the location of the new bridge slightly from where the older bridge was located. He was rewarded for his efforts with the name of the bridge.[3] Wood died only three years after the opening of the Frank J. Wood Bridge in 1935.[3][4]

In 1972, steel was added to the grid deck. In 1985, repairs were made to the steel grid deck and loose bearings, and all structural steel was repainted.[11]

On December 16, 1985, Harry C. Crooker and Sons, a construction company, along with other contractors, staged a protest on the bridge, objecting to the long lines of traffic that accumulated. At the time, the Brunswick-Topsham Bypass Advisory Committee along with the state of Maine legislators were attempting to get a bill passed that would ensure a U.S. Route 1 bypass, easing congestion on the bridge. The protest consisted of one hundred and thirty dump trucks and flatbeds crossing over the bridge in a line that went on for 4 miles (6.4 km).[20] The U.S. Route 1 bypass was approved for construction and opened to the public on November 11, 1997.[21]

Commemorative plaque on the Frank J. Wood Bridge c. 2021.

On September 6, 2019, a lawsuit was submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Maine by the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Historic Bridge Foundation. The plaintiffs of the suit asked the court for an injunction to halt the construction of the new bridge until the state complies with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. Plaintiffs claimed the policy act was in violation due to the impact on the fish ladder at the Brunswick hydroelectric plant, adjacent to the bridge. Plaintiffs also claimed in their suit that rehabilitation would be more cost effective than construction of a new bridge, arguing that the state was inaccurate in their cost assessment.[22][23]

On February 3, 2021, federal judge Lance E. Walker of the United States District Court for the District of Maine ruled in favor of MaineDOT in regards to replacing the bridge, with one exception. The exception to the ruling was for the state to reassess their cost estimate for rehabilitation.[24] On March 8, 2021 the three organizations from the 2019 lawsuit filed an appeal to the initial ruling,[25] citing the bridge's eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places.[26] The appeal was denied on January 5, 2022 by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, citing the state was still responsible for a new assessment for rehabilitating the bridge.[27]

The U.S. district court, on June 16, 2022, ordered the state of Maine to pay 84,000 United States dollars in legal fees due to the state, in their initial report, not assessing the cost of rehabilitation in the correct manner.[28] In January 2023, the state, in their court-ordered re-assessment for rehabilitating the bridge came to the same conclusion, that it would be cheaper to build a new bridge[29] and started the process for construction companies to bid for the job.[17]

A second lawsuit was filed by Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic Bridge Foundation and Waterfront Maine on February 24, 2023. In this lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse the state of Maine of violating the Department of Transportation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act’s protections on historic sites.[30] As part of the lawsuit, an injunction was filed to try and stop the construction of the new bridge. Judge Lance Walker denied the motion at the end of July 2023.[31] As of August 2023, even though construction of the new bridge has begun, this suit is pending litigation, and a hearing will be held in October 2023.[30]