Boston Bridge Works Explained

Boston Bridge Works
Industry:Bridge construction
Founded: in Boston, MA, U.S.
Founder:D.H. Andrews
Fate:Out of business
Area Served:New England

Boston Bridge Works (also known as Boston Bridge Works, Inc.) was an engineering firm, building bridges throughout New England, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Operating out of Boston, they specialized in the drafting, design and implementation of both road and railway truss bridges, a common bridge style of that period.[1]

History

The establishment of Boston Bridge Works was in the year 1876 by David H. Andrews,[2] building notable bridges, such as the 1892 Harvard Bridge between Cambridge and Boston.[3] The company also constructed bridges for many New England railways such as the Boston and Maine Railroad and Boston and Providence Railroad.

Employees of the company were engineers and contractors for steel bridges, buildings, roofs, and railway turntables. The general offices, for most of their operating years, were at 47 Winter Street, Boston, with a plant in East Cambridge.[4]

In August of 1909 a lawsuit was brought to the Massachusetts Superior Court claiming Boston Bridge Works and the New England Structural Company of wrongdoing in a civil suit. The suit alleged the two companies were in a collusive bidding war. The city of Boston claimed that the two companies had a monopoly in the area. Bids for the Broadway bridge consisted of by the New England Structural Company and by Boston Bridge Works. The contract was awarded to Boston Bridge Works but due to losing the lawsuit, they had to pay back to the city of Boston.[5]

After both a fire at their Cambridge plant,[6] and declining contracts during the Great Depression, Boston Bridge Works went out of business in 1938.

Notable bridges

Image ! scope="col"
Bridge Year Type State Town River Status
style=text-align:left Frank J. Wood Bridge[7] Through trussAndroscoggin RiverOpen to traffic
style=text-align:left Gould's Mill Bridge[8] Baltimore trussSpringfieldBlack RiverOpen to traffic
style=text-align:left Harvard BridgeGirder bridgeCharles RiverOpen to traffic
style=text-align:left India Point Railroad Bridge[9] Swing bridgeSeekonk RiverRemoved 2001[10]
style=text-align:left Penobscot River Bridge[11] TrussPenobscot RiverReplaced
style=text-align:left Piermont Bridge[12] Through trussPiermontConnecticut RiverOpen to traffic
style=text-align:left Point Street Bridge[13] Swing bridgeProvidenceProvidence RiverOpen to traffic
style=text-align:left Tyngsborough Bridge[14] Pratt-type truss[15] TyngsboroughMerrimack RiverOpen to traffic

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of a Truss Bridge . . tn.gov . 15 September 2022.
  2. Web site: Individual Inventory Form . . April 2013 . nh.gov . . 14 September 2022 . 3.
  3. Book: Massachusetts Commissioner . 1892 . Harvard Bridge Boston to Cambridge . Rockwell and Churchill . 16 . New York Public Library.
  4. News: . 27 March 1926 . The Boston Bridge Works Inc. . The Cambridge Sentinel . 14 September 2022 . Cambridge Public Library.
  5. News: Staff writer . Staff writer . August 12, 1909 . City Wins Steel Suit . . . . June 11, 2023.
  6. News: . 20 July 1936 . Fire Damages Cambridge Paint and Repair Shop . . 14 September 2022 . newspapers.com.
  7. Web site: Addendum to Supplemental Supporting Information for a Finding of Effect . Senk . Julie . 16 January 2018 . . 30 September 2022.
  8. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=05001589}} NRHP Nomination for Gould's Mill Bridge]. National Park Service. 2020-09-28.
  9. Book: Allen, Richard Sanders. Covered Bridges of the Northeast. January 2004. Google Books. Dover Publications. 93–94. 9780486436623.
  10. Web site: India Point Railroad Bridge Awaiting Qualified Suitor. Providence Business News. 30 September 2022.
  11. Web site: Penobscot Bridge. Carson. Eric W.. Historic American Engineering Record. Library of Congress. 30 September 2022.
  12. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=01000630}} NRHP Nomination for Piermont Bridge]. National Park Service. 2022-09-28.
  13. Web site: Historic Highway Bridges of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Department of Transportation. 50. 30 September 2022.
  14. Web site: Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System . Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 30 September 2022.
  15. News: Collins. John. Tyngsboro Bridge is under repair. 30 September 2022. The Lowell Sun. July 7, 2009.