Frank J. Wood Bridge

Frank J. Wood, (born Joseph Franklin Wood September 15, 1861 – April 11, 1935) was born to Roy M. and Mehitable Potter Wood. A former employee of Bowdoin Paper Co., Wood became the proprietor of Long View Farm on Augusta Rd. in Topsham, Maine. Wood wanted to extend his customer base to Brunswick, however the preceding bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1929 and was deemed condemned.[7] Before the bridge was built, Frank Wood petitioned the state to move the location of the new bridge slightly from where the older bridge was located. His efforts rewarded him with the bridges namesake.[7] Wood died only four years after the opening of the Frank J. Wood Bridge.[7][8]

The 1827 Bridge was the first bridge at this location to be supported by stone pillars.

There have been several bridges since the colonial days that have been adjacent to the site of Fort Andross, just below Brunswick Falls, on the Androscoggin river, separating the towns of Topsham and Brunswick, Maine.

The First Bridge, as it was called, was built in the summer of 1796. It was built with wood and was swept away from a freshet (flood) in 1811. The 1811 Bridge was a second wooden bridge that was built, but was also swept away from a flood in 1827. The 1827 Bridge was a third bridge that was built of wood but with its foundation and piers made of stone. This bridge would also have a covered version but was destroyed by a fire in 1842. In 1871, the forth bridge was built open style, and was a toll bridge. Shortly after, it was jointly purchased and taken over by the towns of Topsham and Brunswick, and made toll free, and known as The Free Bridge. The fifth bridge, was built of light iron, but was swept away by yet another flood in 1896. The sixth bridge, In 1897 The Topsham-Brunswick Bridge was built with a heavier iron, but was pronounced condemned in 1927 after another flood. The Frank J. Wood Bridge opened in 1932 and was the seventh bridge to occupy the location.[9]

After an initial review of the Bridge, in 2016, from the Maine DOT and the Federal Highway Administration, stating the bridge would not be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, in 2017, they reevaluated and determined that the Frank J. Wood Bridge is eligible both as an individual historic place and as part of the Brunswick Commercial Historic District. Eligibility is based on its local significance in transportation for its significant association with regional interurban trolley lines. While most of the features associated with the interurban line are no longer withstanding, the standard width and height of the bridge, set specifically to accommodate the interurban line was adequate integrity to convey that significance.[10]

Commemorative plaque on the Frank J. Wood Bridge c. 2021.

On September 6, 2019 a lawsuit was submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Maine by the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Historic Bridge Foundation. The plaintiffs of the suit asked the court for an injunction to halt the construction of the new bridge until the state complies with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. Plaintiffs claimed the policy act was in violation due to the impact on the fish ladder at the Brunswick hydroelectric plant, adjacent to the bridge. Plaintiffs also claimed in their suit that rehabilitation would be more cost effective than construction of a new bridge, arguing that the state was inaccurate in their cost assessment.[17][18]

On February 3, 2021, Federal Judge Lance E. Walker of the United States District Court for the District of Maine ruled in favor of the Maine DOT in regards to replacing the bridge, with one exception. The exception to the ruling was for the state to reassess their cost estimate for rehabilitation.[19] On March 8, 2021 the three organizations from the 2019 lawsuit filed an appeal to the initial ruling,[20] citing the bridges eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places.[21] The appeal was denied on January 5, 2022 by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, citing the state was still responsible for a new assessment for rehabilitating the bridge.[22]

The U.S. district court, on June 16, 2022, ordered the state of Maine to pay 84,000 US dollars in legal fees due to the state, in their initial report, not assessing the cost of rehabilitation in the correct manner.[23] The state, in their court ordered re-assessment for rehabilitating the bridge came to the same conclusion (January 2023), that it would be cheaper to build a new bridge[24] and started the process for construction companies to bid for the job.[15]

A second lawsuit was filed by Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic Bridge Foundation and Waterfront Maine on February 24, 2023. In this lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse the state of Maine of violating the Department of Transportation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act’s protections on historic sites. As of May 2023, this suit is pending litigation.[25]