Preservation

The Lewes Swing Bridge was a center-bearing bobtail swing bridge with an asymmetrical span whose longer arm extended approximately 60 feet and shorter arm approximately 30 feet. The span sat on a concrete pier in the canal and, when closed, also rested on a concrete pier and abutment. It was notable as one of the few remaining swing bridges in the 21st century still operated by human power, with two people cranking a capstan about 15 full rotations to move the span fully between open and closed positions. The capstan was connected to a driveshaft that turned gears and rotated a central pinion gear, which then rotated the central bearing or pin on eight wheels. Although no longer in operation, the Lewes Swing Bridge is one of three surviving railroad swing bridges in Sussex County, alongside the operational Delaware Railroad bridge over the Nanticoke River in Seaford, built in 1890, and the non-operational Delaware Railroad bridge over Broad Creek in Laurel, built in 1911. Swing bridges were developed in the mid-1800s to keep navigable waterways such as rivers and canals free from obstruction while still allowing people and vehicles, including trains, to cross. In the closed position, traffic crossed as on a fixed bridge, and in the open position, boats could pass. They were especially popular from the 1890s into the 1920s because they were relatively simple to build and operate, but their large central piers occupied valuable channel space and restricted the size of ships that could pass.

Lewes, Delaware · United States