The Gut Bridge, in South Bristol, ME, has won a 2018 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award “New Bridges/ Transportation Structures” from the National Council of Structural Engineers (NCSEA).

The NCSEA Awards annually highlight the best examples of structural engineering ingenuity throughout the world. Projects are judged on innovative design, engineering achievement, and creativity.

The Gut Bridge is a harp-style bascule that is fully counterweighted and driven by two 15 hp motors rotating the span 80 degrees to an open position through a rack and pinion system. The movable span carries two lanes of roadway plus a sidewalk and measures 35 feet in width. The span measures 42 feet 7 inches from the centerline of the trunnion to the toe and spans a 33-foot, 6-inch wide channel. The bridge is located in the historic fishing town of South Bristol. It is an important bridge as it carries Route 129 and spans the body of water known as “The Gut,” is the only route from the mainland to Rutherford Island, which is where the US Post Office and the South Bristol Fire Department are located.

The project has won numerous awards including the ENR New England Project of the Year-Merit; the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC Maine) Grand Conceptor Award; The National Steel Bridge Alliance Prize Award for Movable Bridges Category (Top Award); and, Roads and Bridges Magazine 2017 Top Ten Projects of the Year (#8).