001.Boscawen-Canterbury

My first sighting of the Boscawen-Canterbury bridge, taken from the kayak with my Casio 3.3MP camera.

I'm on the Boscawen shore now looking towards Canterbury. Observe how the foliage is slowly eating the bridge. The difference in the deck conditions is also vividly apparent; notice how much light comes through the floor of the more distant span. Also notice that the rails are different; steel on the Boscawen side, and wood on the Canterbury side.

Zoomed out view from the shore.

The Boscawen approach. Behind me Depot Street ends at a fence with a locked gate. The street is maintained because there are ballfields for little league nearby. Peter is risking a $60 fine if caught standing on the deck of the bridge.

The view across the span from the Boscawen side. The rail on the right side is slowly coming unglued, as is the leftmost edge of the deck. The left side railing wants to follow. In the distance, the Canterbury deck is gone except for a small strip along the left edge.

This is the Canterbury approach; West Street ends here at the bridge. I don't know if Canterbury levies a fine for plunging through the foliage. My guess is that only fools do that these days.

Peeking through the foliage suggests that Canterbury did at least maintain this strip as a pedestrian walkway for a while. The steel beams sticking out of the decking appear to serve as a fence to keep you from driving onto the bad decking while allowing bikes and persons to cross. If there was any additional fencing along the long stretch, it is long gone.

A somewhat wider view of the Canterbury side showing the condition of the remaining deck and steel; some beams are completely loose. I found a photo taken from this location in 1976. Wow! That was 26 years before this photo was taken and the deck was already in very rough shape. You can read how scary it was even then to venture out onto the deck.