Fairport Lift Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fairport Lift Bridge |
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The Fairport Lift Bridge in Fairport, New York (2007)
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| Coordinates | 43°06′05.80″N 77°26′30.98″W / 43.1016111°N 77.4419389°W |
| Carries |  NY 250 (Main Street) |
| Crosses | Erie Canal |
| Locale | Fairport, New York |
| Maintained by | NYS Department of Transportation |
| ID number | E-128 (HAER NY-456) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | steel Warren truss with vertical lift |
| Total length | 160 ft (49 m) |
| Width | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Longest span | 139 ft (42 m) |
| Clearance below | approx. 6 ft (2 m) lowered approx. 16 ft (5 m) raised |
| History | |
| Construction begin | 1913 |
| Construction end | 1914 |
| Opened | August 15, 1914 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | automobile and pedestrians |
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Fairport Lift Bridge
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| Area | 1 acre (0.4 ha) |
| Architectural style | Warren Pony Truss |
| MPS | New York State Barge Canal |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000860 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 2014 |
The Fairport Lift Bridge is a special kind of bridge in Fairport, New York. It's a lift bridge that goes up and down. This bridge carries NY Route 250 (Main Street) over the famous Erie Canal.
It was built between 1913 and 1914. The Lackawanna Bridge Company from Buffalo, New York constructed it. This new bridge replaced an older one from 1886. The old bridge had to be removed because the Erie Canal was made wider. The Fairport Lift Bridge opened for cars on August 15, 1914. It first had a wooden floor, but later it was changed to a strong steel floor. This bridge is one of sixteen similar lift bridges along the western part of the Erie Canal.
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How the Bridge Works
This bridge is 139 feet (42 meters) long. It has a very unusual design. The bridge is shaped like a decagon, which means it has ten sides. No two angles on the bridge are the same. Also, there are no square corners on its floor. The bridge crosses the canal at a 32-degree angle. This means one side is higher than the other.
Lifting the Bridge
The Fairport Lift Bridge uses powerful 40-horsepower electric motors. These motors help it lift up. The bridge can move up 10.6 feet (3.2 meters). Even though the bridge floor is angled, the whole structure lifts straight up. It moves on four corner posts. When the bridge is down, boats have about 6 feet (2 meters) of space to pass underneath. When it's lifted, boats get about 16 feet (5 meters) of space. The building where the bridge is controlled is on the southeast side.
Protecting a Historic Bridge
In the 1970s, the Fairport Lift Bridge needed many repairs. There was a plan to replace it with a new concrete bridge. This new bridge would go over both the railroad tracks and the canal. But people decided to build a new bridge at Turk Hill Road instead. This helped with traffic and kept the historic lift bridge on Main Street.
Famous and Refurbished
Because of its unique look, the Fairport Lift Bridge was even featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! The bridge was last fully fixed up in 1988. Some smaller repairs were also done in 2013. On September 4, 2019, the New York State Department of Transportation closed the bridge. This was for general upkeep and major repairs. This work was expected to take about 15 months. Drivers could use Turk Hill Road (NY Route 31F) as a detour.
National Recognition
The Fairport Lift Bridge is part of the New York State Barge Canal system. Because of its importance and unique design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 2014. This means it is recognized as a special historic landmark.
