Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory is a Beautiful Tourist Attraction in Maine
EducationPenobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory is a Beautiful Tourist Attraction in Maine
The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory is a beautiful popular tourist attraction located in the town of Bucksport, Maine along the central coast. Spanning the Penobscot River the Penobscot Narrows Bridge is a 2,120 foot long cable-stayed bridge completed in late 2006 with two bridge towers. At the top of one of the two towers is the Penobscot Narrows Observatory.
Penobscot Narrows Observatory
Opened to the public in 2007 the Penobscot Narrows Observatory is the only bridge observatory in the United States and at 420 feet in height is the tallest bridge observatory in the world. The observatory offers visitors spectacular 360 degree views of the Penobscot River, the Penobscot Bay, the town of Bucksport, nearby Fort Knox and the Maine countryside and coast.
Fort Knox Historical Site
Fort Knox is located in Fort Knox State Park on the west bank of the Penobscot River where the west end of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge begins and is another tourist attraction in the area and the place where visitors park to access the Penobscot Narrows Observatory.
Fort Knox was built of granite from 1844 to 1869 to protect the vital timber trade in the area that was used to build ships at that time. Fort Knox was named for Henry Knox who was the chief artillery officer in the Continental Army and first Secretary of War of the United States who settled in Maine after the American Revolution. In addition to being the entry point for the Penobscot Narrows Observatory Fort Knox is also open to the public.
Penobscot Narrows Bridge Facts
Image Source by InAweofGod'sCreation's
The Penobscot Narrows Bridge has a clearance of 135 over the water, is 447 feet high at its top and cost $85 million to build. The two towers of the bridge were purposely designed to look like the Washington Monument due to the fact that some of the granite used to build the Washington Monument came from this part of Maine. The towers are striking and beautiful.
So visitors to this area of Maine can see three great tourist attractions rolled into one. The beautiful Penobscot Narrows Bridge itself, the Fort Knox Historical Site and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory. The Penobscot Narrows Observatory has proven to be a very popular tourist attraction in Maine as some 200,000 visitors have already visited the site since it opened in 2007 and been treated to the beautiful views it offers.
For more see Tallest Monuments in the United States
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Observation Towers at Niagara Falls
Suspension Bridges in New York City
Sources:http://www.maine.gov/mdot/pnbo/observatory.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penobscot_Narrows_Bridge