A Northeast Region Program

Dennis Reidenbach
Regional Director

A Bridge to the Past

In historic Lincoln, Massachusetts, a Partnership Rivers group has collaborated with state and local officials to preserve a bridge that is both a piece of the river's past and a cherished landmark in this rural town.

Designation of the Sudbury, Assabet, Concord River system as a Wild and Scenic River provided the perfect committee structure to take action when the historic Lee Bridge needed conserving.

Lee's Bridge, an historic relic crossing the Sudbury River--which is one leg of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic River--bore the town's history well, but could not sustain the heavy loads of modern traffic on a major commuting route outside of Boston. Descendants of John Adams had donated the original bridge to the towns of Concord and Lincoln, and Thoreau referred to it in his writings. Despite such rich history, a 25-by-15 foot hole in the bridge that appeared in October 1999 stopped traffic and threatened to eliminate the bridge altogether.

Preserving History and Sense of Place Along the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers

Fortunately, when the bridge was most threatened, the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord River Stewardship Council was already in place. The Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord had achieved Wild and Scenic status in June, 1999 and had the river council in place ready to take on the challenge of preserving Lee Bridge. The council-a forum for protecting the three river's outstanding resources-proved an ideal body to address the bridge issue because it includes representatives from the towns of Concord and Lincoln, as well as the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, which owns land adjacent to the bridge.

River Stewardship Council to the Rescue

The stewardship council and the towns asked the Massachusetts Highway Department to rebuild the 1912, two-span, granite masonry bridge with historical accuracy. The highway department agreed to work closely and expeditiously with the towns and the Stewardship Council to rebuild the bridge from its original granite stonework.

The bridge helps define the character of our community and maintaining its historical integrity is something everyone wants. The Wild and Scenic designation lent strong support to our negotiations with the highway department. I don't know if we would have been successful without it.

John Kerr, Lincoln selectman and town's representative to the River Stewardship Council

With concerted effort from all involved, the highway department expedited public hearings and initial planning, and completed all its design work in less than two years. The Stewardship council reviewed all design plans to ensure historic integrity; members worked with their town officials, kept the council informed, and developed relationships that helped move the project forward. Because of the Wild and Scenic designation, National Park Service staff were able to lend their expertise to the project.

With the project about to be put out for bid, the Stewardship Council is staying focuses on completing the bridge reconstruction. Looming state budget cuts and personnel changes in the highway department may throw roadblocks in the way, but the Council is in a good position to make sure that history is repeated when Lee Bridge is rebuilt.

Last Updated:
July 18, 2008