Middletown–Portland railroad bridge

The Middletown–Portland railroad bridge is a swing truss railroad bridge crossing the Connecticut River and Route 9 in Middletown, Connecticut, just south of the Arrigoni Bridge. The bridge is a Warren through-truss swing bridge with an overall length of 1,142 ft (348 m) and a rotating center span. It is used by the Providence and Worcester Railroad to serve freight customers in Portland.^[1]

Middletown–Portland railroad bridge
The bridge viewed from the Arrigoni Bridge in 2007
Coordinates	41°34′00″N 72°38′52″W
Carries	Providence and Worcester Railroad freight branch
Crosses	Connecticut River
Locale	Middletown and Portland, Connecticut
Maintained by	ConnDOT[citation needed]
Characteristics
Design	rail swing truss bridge
Clearance below	25 feet (7.6 m)
History
Opened	1911
Location

The first rail bridge at the site was constructed by the Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad in 1873. It was replaced by the current bridge in 1911. The bridge was featured prominently in the video for the 1993 Billy Joel hit "The River of Dreams".^[2][3]

See also

• List of crossings of the Connecticut River

References

1. "No injuries in train derailment in Middletown's North End". The Middletown Press. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
2. "Behind-The-Scenes Photos: A Look Back At Billy Joel's 'River Of Dreams'". Sony Music Entertainment. August 14, 2014.
3. Donohue, Mary M. (Summer 2015). "Carry Me Across the Water: Our Historic Bridges". Connecticut Explored.

External links

• Media related to Middletown–Portland railroad bridge at Wikimedia Commons
• Providence & Worcester Railroad Bridge at Structurae
• YouTube: Billy Joel's The River of Dreams music video