Brunswick Public Art Chooses Design Using Repurposed Frank J. Wood Bridge Steel

Brunswick Public Art has chosen a design that will incorporate repurposed steel from the 1932 Frank J. Wood Bridge to create a permanent public sculpture, the organization announced Feb. 19, 2026. The decision commits material from the historic span to a community memorial after the bridge last carried traffic between Brunswick and Topsham until late 2025.

The Frank J. Wood Bridge, completed in 1932, stood for roughly 93 years before its closure and removal in late 2025. Brunswick Public Art’s selection uses that specific provenance as the defining element of the memorial, preserving steel from the original structure rather than disposing of it or consigning it to scrap.

Brunswick Public Art made the selection public in its Feb. 19 announcement; the group identified the winning design as one that foregrounds the bridge’s original fabric by shaping salvaged beams and plates into a permanent work. The announcement names the material source explicitly as the 1932 span that once connected Brunswick and Topsham, signaling a focus on continuity between the old crossing and a new civic object.

For residents of Brunswick and Topsham who relied on the Frank J. Wood Bridge until late 2025, the sculpture will act as an urban memorial tying the bridge’s decades of service to a visible public presence. The design choice follows the bridge’s removal timeline and repurposes components of the structure rather than keeping them in storage or sending them to market.

By designating the old bridge’s steel for a permanent installation, Brunswick Public Art has set a clear preservation path for the material legacy of the 1932 span. The organization framed the effort as a memorialization of the bridge’s role linking Brunswick and Topsham; the Feb. 19 announcement is the formal step in that process.

The selection moves the project from planning into implementation, with Brunswick Public Art now positioned to advance fabrication and siting based on the chosen design and the bridge steel now identified for reuse. The group’s Feb. 19, 2026 announcement marks a tangible next chapter for the Frank J. Wood Bridge’s legacy in both towns, turning elements of the old span into a permanent piece of public art for the Brunswick area.