Central Avenue Bridge

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Six bridges have spanned the Cocheco River Since the 1640’s when people crossed on a “boom” of logs. The first bridge, ca. 1762, was made of “Pitch Pine Piers” and washed away in the Greatest Freshet of 1785. The Cocheco Manufacturing Company built the second bridge in 1824. In 1845, this “Factory Bridge” was widened and had several stone pillars added. The fourth bridge, made of iron, was built in 1876 for $20,000, the fifth in1913 for 45,000, and the sixth (and present) opened on September 30, 1976.