The Memorial Bridge lift span was brought up to the State Pier when it was initially removed from its home. After a couple days of intrigue and restricted access for viewing, the span mysteriously showed up at Prescott Park and has been there for the weekend. It’s amazing to see it up close, especially some of the finer details like the incredibly frayed cables at the top of the corners of the span.
I’m usually the kind of photographer to take a wide sweeping view of a scene to capture all of its glory. While I was watching the crew prepare the lift span of the Memorial Bridge for lowering onto the Cape Cod barge, I spent more time actually looking around to enjoy the little details of the day. The rich color and texture of the water in the cold winter air was beautifully reflecting the lift span during its last hours connected to the bridge. The dock provides some nice grounding for an otherwise abstract shot.
I was processing the adrenaline of the pressure to get some good shots and also wanted to capture the moment with video. What a great way to end the night!
After much anticipation over the last few days, and an incredible amount of hard work that was put in by those involved – the Memorial Bridge lift span has been removed! It was amazing to see the number of people out all day long just watching with fascination. Despite the cold weather, the piers and grounds at Prescott Park were packed all day long right through the actual removal of the lift span around 10:30pm. As soon as the bridge started to move on its Kittery side, the crowd erupted with cheers. Be sure to check out the video for a feeling of the crowds awe!
Tomorrow will include photos of the lift span being floated out – but for now I wanted to share two shots of the flurry of activity that had to happen in order for the span to be floated out in the first place. The first shot above features two workers hurriedly screwing something onto one of the barge towers that will help secure the 2 million pound lift span. The shot below is a serene capture of the Cape Cod barge at rest with the early morning light reflecting the scene in the rich blue water of the Piscataqua.
While I was scouting out good spots to watch the lift span float out of the Memorial Bridge, I decided to head over to Four Tree Island for a nice head on shot. The wind was sharp and my hands were absolutely frozen, but a nice long exposure with a fascinating cloud movement made for a worthy image. Hard to imagine that in a few days this view will never be the same. I’m looking forward to some action shots with the barge carrying the bridge – but until then some scenic shots will have to do the trick.
The Congress Street corridor is a great spot to watch the light change during various points of the day. During the winter, the late day sunlight streaks across Congress Street, barely reaching the Breaking New Grounds building in Market Square. In this shot of the mid-afternoon, the North Church and the square enjoy some direct sunlight while the buildings on either side of the street create a claustrophobic view up the hill.
