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Images of the Fairport Lift Bridge

The Lift Bridge on Main Street in the Village of Fairport has appeared in Ripley's Believe It or Not because of its unusual construction. The bridge is an irregular, ten-sided structure and crosses the canal at a 32-degree angle. No two angles in the bridge are the same, and no corners on the bridge are square. The bridge weighs 720 tons and is powered by a 40-horsepower electric motor. Clearance under the Fairport Lift Bridge is 6 feet when lowered and 15 feet when raised. Below are two historical photographs of the Fairport Lift Bridge shortly after it was built, and some photographs of the Fairport Lift Bridge taken in 2003 and 2004.

Historical Photographs (click on the image below to see the full-size version)
Barge Canal, Contract No. 63 [Fairport Lift Bridge] -- from Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of the State of New York for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1915 (Albany : J. B. Lyon Co, printers, 1916) -- left: facing p. 270; right: facing p. 272.

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Recent Photographs
The Fairport Lift Bridge from the northeast (Bridge operator's tower to the left)
The Fairport Lift Bridge from the southwest
The Fairport Lift Bridge seen from the canal, west side, in the raised position
Fairport Lift Bridge from the southeast - Normal automobile traffic position (down)	Fairport Lift Bridge from the southeast - Bridge raised to let a boat through
Fairport Lift Bridge from the northwest	Fairport Lift Bridge east side pedestrian walkway

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Fairport Lift Bridge from the south -- Going up	Fairport Lift Bridge from the south -- Fully raised

Fairport Lift Bridge from the north -- Raised position

Fairport Lift Bridge from the west -- Raised position

Fairport Lift Bridge-- Raised position -- From the underside Left -- looking south ; Right -- looking north

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Each end of the Fairport Lift Bridge has a stairway which allows pedestrians to cross the bridge when in the raised position. Originally, canal traffic was heavy, and road traffic was relatively light, so the bridge was left up and only lowered when road traffic required it. In time, automobile traffic increased and canal traffic decreased, so today the bridge is left down and raised when a boat requires it.

Fairport Lift Bridge stairways Left -- South stair, looking north (bridge down) Right -- North stair, looking southeast (bridge up)