The swing bridge in South Bristol reopened to boat traffic at about 5:15 p.m. Friday afternoon, Sept. 10, after an approximate 24-hour closure for repairs.
The bridge became stuck in the open position at about 3 p.m. Sept. 9, stranding some residents on Rutherford Island for about “forty minutes to an hour,” bridge keeper John Harrison said.
Rutherford Island resident Jeff Poole and Michael Nyboe of Bittersweet Landing helped close the bridge with Poole’s truck and a winch, witnesses said.
Dept. of Transportation employees worked throughout the day Sept. 10, replacing a gear and a bearing, Harrison said.
It’s the second time the bridge was stuck this summer, Harrison said. Last time, in July, the bridge was open for about 20 minutes. “Usually it’s minor,” Harrison said. “This time it didn’t want to shut.”
Ken Dowd has lived in a house overlooking the bridge since 1996. “We’ve seen the bridge stuck more than a few times,” Dowd said. Although “a long line of cars” backed up on Rt. 129 in front of Dowd’s house, this closure was relatively insignificant, he said.
Although the closure was undoubtedly an inconvenience, the resourceful contingent of the island did their best to continue business as usual.
Longtime South Bristol Postmaster Wayne Benner borrowed a boat at the town dock on Rutherford Island, crossed The Gut to Osier’s Wharf, tied up and carried the afternoon’s mail to a delivery driver on the mainland.
“We got lucky,” Benner said, because the driver, who picks up the town’s outgoing mail each morning and afternoon, wasn’t on Rutherford Island when the bridge was stuck.
South Bristol Harbormaster Cecil Burnham said the journey around the island is between two and 2.5 miles. The town’s commercial fishermen know the route well, however, and plan their days accordingly.
DOT plans to replace the historic landmark with a new, $4.4 million bridge in 2012 or 2013 depending on the availability of state funds.