The old Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, designed by John A. Roebling and finished by his son Washington Roebling, spans the mighty East River there and is famous for being the first suspension bridge to use steel for its cabling, among other things.
The new Brooklin Bridge in the Town of Brooklin, designed and built by Lance Wyeth, spans a meandering stream that runs into Great Cove and is famous for being the first bridge that could survive the icing, thawing and violently high winds and tides that we have had on our shore:
We kept losing the prior Brooklin Bridge, which was a heavy plank staked down into the ground near the foot of our shore stairs.
Lance, our gracious neighbor and an extraordinary builder, voluntarily created a system that affixed the plank to a long stabilizing board, all of which floats up and down via deeply-driven. capped reinforcement bars that run from within the ground through the wood. So far, it has survived some fairly severe tests. Thanks, Lance. (Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on January 23, 2024.)