Lee's Bridge

How is all that water going to get through that small opening?

Lee's Bridge crosses the Sudbury River between Lincoln and Concord along Route 117. It gives you a better picture of the flooding we are still experiencing after last week's rain event.

Lee's Bridge was donated to the towns of Concord and Lincoln by descendants of President John Adams. Erected in 1912, this stone-faced cement structure replaced an earlier wooden one from the 18th century. Apparently, Charles Francis Adams II of Lincoln, desired a bridge which resembled the famous one across Fiume Arno in Firenze, Italy. It is also referred to by Henry David Thoreau in his writings.

In 1999 the old bridge could no longer handle the heavy stream of traffic that crossed it every day and a gaping 25-by-15 foot hole appeared. Nine years and nearly $7.5 million later, the granite masonry bridge was restored with historical accuracy. Constant high water was actually one of the reasons it took so long to rebuild.