The Fairhaven New Bedford Bridge: Built In The Late 19th Century

Traveling on Route 6 from New Bedford into Fairhaven or vice versa, you'll be heading over a bridge that's over 100 years old, the Fairhaven/New Bedford Bridge. It took about two years to build between 1897 and 1899, and by the looks of a picture dating back to just before the turn of the century, it looks like Route 6 was being constructed right around the same time.

I felt it appropriate to get two pictures that had road work going on. You'll see the original construction of Route 6 and the bridge, along with the most recent road work earlier in the year.

According to Wikipedia, the bridge is actually one of three bridges crossing the Acushnet River between the two communities. The entire four lane stretch carries Route 6 and crosses between the mainland of New Bedford just west of McArthur Drive to Fish Island, the smaller western island in the river. From there, an extremely short stretch of highway connects the two spans, and the main part of the Fairhaven/New Bedford crosses from Fish Island to Pope's Island.

Check out the picture below, courtesy of Spinner Publications.