Thursday, March 2, 2023

1914,1988,2021 Main Street Bridge over Erie Canal in Fairport, NY

(Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAERSatellite)

Erie Canal overview

3D Satellite

Looking Northwest. It looks like it was in a raised position while it was being renovated.
Upstate New York Railfan, Nov 2020

Looking Southeast. This view catches the skew of the bridge across the canal. The bridge has a 32-degree skew and 4% grade. [HAER-data, p2] It looks like the south side is higher. The photo of a plaque below confirms that.
Thomas Griebel, Oct 2018

Because of the 32-degree skew and 4% grade, no two corners have the same angle.
Jay Zbaczyniak (zbcznk), Sep 2016, cropped

Jay Zbaczyniak (zbcznk), Sep 2016

Construction is a lot easier if you can remove the water.
1 of many photos in ErieCanal
"Clearance under the Fairport Lift Bridge is approximately 6 feet when lowered (this varies from one side to the other due to the slope of the bridge), with a lift of 10 feet 7 inches. At normal water levels, clearance when raised is 16.3 feet, with a minimum at high water of 15.7 feet."

John Kucko Digital posted
Transformation Tuesday: Each season delivers its own brand of beauty here in New York State. 80 days and counting until the Erie Canal opens for the season (Fairport, NY).

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor posted
The Fairport lift bridge is known for its unusual configuration. Built in 1914 as part of the Barge Canal, it carries main street across the canal at a 32-degree angle, and slopes southwest to northeast. The bridge is lower on the north side than the south; one side of the bridge is longer than the other. The bridge is an unusual decagon, no two angles are the same, and no corners are square. 📸: Fairport, Nikki Bittner Photography

I found a photo of the raised position that lets us see some of the sheaves that control the cables between the lift posts and the counterweights.
Photo via ErieCanal

As expected, since it is an Erie Canal bridge, it has stairways so that pedestrians can use the bridge when it is raised.
Street View, May 2022


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