Cape Cod Canal RR Bridge

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The Cape Cod Canal RR Bridge which spans the south western end of the canal is one of the largest vertical lift bridges in the world with a lift span of 544 feet, a total span of 806 feet and a high water clearance of 136 feet (in the normal up position). Built between 1933 and 1935 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of maximizing both marine and rail movement.

The bridge is controlled by a panel in the bridge's own control room. However, the rail interlocking mechanisms are housed within the Buzzards Bay Tower on the Northern side of the bridge.

Bay Colony uses the bridge in its daily operations, as it is the only means of traversing the Cape Cod Canal by rail. While the track, and hence the bridge, are used seasonally for passenger service to and from Cape Cod, the primary cargo carried from the Cape is solid waste, i.e., trash. Bay Colony carries the majority of the trash collected on Cape Cod from two transfer stations (Yarmouth and Falmouth) in specially designed cars, to the SEMASS waste to energy power plant in Rochester, MA.

Bay Colony Railroad and the Army Corps of Engineers will be working together to complete much of the needed repair work to the bridge structure on a schedule laid out by the Army Corps of Engineers over the next several years. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod_Canal