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Penobscot Narrows Observatory and Bridge, Bucksport, Maine

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory in Bucksport, Maine, was constructed in 2006 as a replacement for a historically important bridge, the Waldo-Hancock Suspension Bridge. The Waldo-Hancock Bridge was constructed at this location in 1931, but was found have serious corrosion issues in 2003. The replacement, the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory, is stunning in its beauty, in its incorporation of community-friendly features, and in its celebration of the national importance of the local granite-quarrying industry.

The bridge uses a cable-stayed design, with diagonal cables angled from two high towers situated on either bank of the estuary. In most cases, cables are anchored near the top of a tower within the axis of the bridge, and they splay outwards toward the sides, connecting near the edge of the deck. The Penobscot Narrows Bridge does the opposite. The towers are centered within the axis of the roadway, but the cables are situated on the outside edges of the towers, and they splay inwards toward the center of the deck. This design results in the modernistic, geometric pattern usually seen on cable-stayed bridges from a distance. However, it is unusual in that it means that the roadways are open to the sides of the bridge. This allows travelers in cars to admire the view of the estuary and surrounding hills without the view being interrupted by the intervening flash of white cables every few seconds.

The designers of the bridge chose to honor the role of the local granite industry in supplying building stone for many of the nation’s most important monuments, including the Washington Monument in Washington, DC. The entranceway and plaza surrounding the base of the western tower, as well as some of the publicly accessible areas inside the tower, are constructed of different types of granite from various locations in Maine. The towers are obelisks, the same shape as the Washington Monument, although slightly reduced in size from 555 feet in Washington to 447 feet at the bridge. Finally, similar to the Washington Monument, the western tower was constructed with an elevator in the middle, leading 420 feet up to a glass-walled observation platform at the top.

A common feature of observatories and elevated viewing platforms around the world is that the elevators or stairs providing access are situated within the core of the observation area. You can usually obtain views in all directions by walking entirely around this core, but its presence in the middle of the platform means you can only see out one direction at a time. The designers of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge went to great lengths to maximize the viewing experience at the top. The elevator in the core of the tower does not go all the way to the top. Instead, it stops two floors below. The observatory level is then reached by stairs, meaning that there is no obstruction in the center. A small, secondary elevator is present to provide disabled access to the top, but it is off to the side, only about three feet high, allowing unobstructed 360-degree views through floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

There is an extensive description of the bridge in my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.

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