Deer Isle Suspension Bridge

This is an image set within the Bridgemeister collection.

Bridge:Deer Isle Suspension Bridge
Location:Deer Isle, Sedgwick, Maine, USA - Eggemoggin Reach
Coordinates and Maps:See related inventory record(s).
Image Set Contributor:David Denenberg
Date of Images:May 1999
Related Suspension Bridge Inventory:1939 Deer Isle - Sedgwick, Maine, USA
Related Image Lists:All from David Denenberg
All in Maine
All in USA
All Vehicular Suspension Bridges
Credit:All photos by David Denenberg. Please do not reuse without permission.

Leon Moisseiff (Tacoma Narrows) wasn't the only one building thin, plate-girder suspension bridges in the late 1930's. The Robinson and Steinman-built Deer Isle suspension bridge has been known to do some galloping of its own.

These first two photographs were taken in the mid-1980's on a family vacation. I asked my father to stop the car so I could stand in the rain and take a couple quick pictures.

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I made an unplanned sidetrip to revisit the Deer Isle suspension bridge in May of 1999. Unfortunately, the sun was setting as I arrived. It was interesting to notice how much, from a distance, the proportions of the Deer Isle bridge resemble those of the original Tacoma Narrows bridge. As I got closer, it became obvious the bridge had been modified to reduce 'unwanted motion' in the bridge deck. The entire plate girder deck is now obscured with wind deflectors. Cross-bracing between the cables and the deck (forming X's above the roadway) were also added. I also noticed the cables are not wrapped, just bundled at the suspender connections.

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