LEWES, DE - Two cranes sat in place to lift the Lewes Swing Bridge out of the Lewes- Rehoboth Canal on Wednesday afternoon. Once the bridge is lifted from the water it will be taken to American Legion Road. Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association President Randy Voith says the railway supported watermen, passengers, and Fort Miles while the tracks were in operation.
“The bridge carried traffic that supported this area for over 100 years, almost exactly 100 years and we just did not want to see it destroyed, we wanted to be here to preserve it,” Voith said.
DELDOT says they have to take a detour route to ensure roads and bridges can support the weight of the bridge on its way to american legion road.
“It's a significant operation today to move this bridge out of the water. The bridge itself weighs about 230 tons so taking that structure and moving it obviously requires a lot of manpower, a lot of equipment,” said CR McLeod, a spokesperson for DELDOT.
The bridge was decommissioned in 2017 after DELDOT determined the bridge was unsafe. Lewes mayor Ted Becker says even though it has not been used for years the bridge is an important historical mark for the town.
“It has been a relic that has been very popular. there's a lovely history with railroads and America seems to love railroads so the bridge is very much apart of this community and at one time there was passenger rail service here,” Becker said
The Bridge will be placed at American Legion road and put on display.
