New Bedford Owes George F. Swain and William F. Williams For This

They say we might see a new New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge someday. Anyone still holding their breath for South Coast Rail might be skeptical.

In the meantime, we wait. Not only do we wait for a replacement bridge, but we also wait in traffic for the current bridge to allow marine traffic through so that we might go on our merry way.

According to the Library of Congress, "The New Bedford-Fairhaven Middle Bridge is a relatively early example of electric power applied to a movable bridge span and is one of the longest (288') surviving swing spans in Massachusetts, under Massachusetts Department of Public Works purview."

The bridge, wrought with problems over the years, experiences frequent mechanical issues.

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) says, "The New Bedford-Fairhaven Swing Bridge sees an average of 5,000 openings a year for vessels." MassDOT says, "Opened in 1903, it is in need of attention to address functional deficiencies."

The state is considering "reconstructing the bridge to ensure a 75-year design life." No one seems to agree on what a new bridge should look like.

We do know how we got here.

The Library of Congress says the current bridge "was designed by two significant engineers George F. Swain (1857-1931), a well-known structural engineer, and William F. Williams (1859-1929), New Bedford City Engineer."

George Filmore Swain was a civil engineer from San Francisco, California. Swain taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later Harvard University.

Swain also served as a consulting engineer for the Massachusetts Railroad Commission and the Boston Transit Commission.

Little is known about Williams.