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Mystic Connecticut Mystic River Bascule Bridge 20
On account of some flash floods out here in the Mojave Desert, I'm posting a photo from the archives.
Decades ago, I began a project to travel the entire length of US1 from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. I estimate having driven over 80% of it during two trips. When you get into New England, you encounter a lot of small coastal towns. Mystic, Connecticut was a place along the way. I liked this bridge because the deck of the bridge weighs 660 tons. Somehow one of the guys from Otis elevator made the thing open and close with two 40 horsepower DC motors. Gears are part of the trick. It takes about 5 minutes to move from fully horizontal to fully open. The two concrete counterweights weigh 230 tons each. It's a clever design for 1922 engineering.
An approaching boat calls the Connecticut Department of Transportation bridge operator via VHF marine radio. Railroad crossing type gates close on each bridge approach. The bridge operator sounds a railroad locomotive class air horn when the bridge is imminently going to open. (I just about jumped out of my shoes when the horn went off.) The bridge operator was female and was friendly and courteous with tourists.
Many people recall the name of the town from an early Julia Roberts movie, Mystic Pizza. The location used for the pizza parlor in the film is not named Mystic Pizza and is actually a couple of miles north of Mystic. Meanwhile in Mystic proper, an entrepreneur has opened a business named Mystic Pizza which is popular with tourists. I'm not sure if they've survived the pandemic.
No mystical pizza for me. For dinner, I ate at a nautical-themed bar. After a long day on the road, it was a great way to wrap up the day.
Cut my pizza in six slices; I can't eat eight.
— Yogi Berra
Journalism grade image.
Source: 4200x2800 16-bit TIF file.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.
Mystic Connecticut Mystic River Bascule Bridge 20
On account of some flash floods out here in the Mojave Desert, I'm posting a photo from the archives.
Decades ago, I began a project to travel the entire length of US1 from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. I estimate having driven over 80% of it during two trips. When you get into New England, you encounter a lot of small coastal towns. Mystic, Connecticut was a place along the way. I liked this bridge because the deck of the bridge weighs 660 tons. Somehow one of the guys from Otis elevator made the thing open and close with two 40 horsepower DC motors. Gears are part of the trick. It takes about 5 minutes to move from fully horizontal to fully open. The two concrete counterweights weigh 230 tons each. It's a clever design for 1922 engineering.
An approaching boat calls the Connecticut Department of Transportation bridge operator via VHF marine radio. Railroad crossing type gates close on each bridge approach. The bridge operator sounds a railroad locomotive class air horn when the bridge is imminently going to open. (I just about jumped out of my shoes when the horn went off.) The bridge operator was female and was friendly and courteous with tourists.
Many people recall the name of the town from an early Julia Roberts movie, Mystic Pizza. The location used for the pizza parlor in the film is not named Mystic Pizza and is actually a couple of miles north of Mystic. Meanwhile in Mystic proper, an entrepreneur has opened a business named Mystic Pizza which is popular with tourists. I'm not sure if they've survived the pandemic.
No mystical pizza for me. For dinner, I ate at a nautical-themed bar. After a long day on the road, it was a great way to wrap up the day.
Cut my pizza in six slices; I can't eat eight.
— Yogi Berra
Journalism grade image.
Source: 4200x2800 16-bit TIF file.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.