“The Cut” Bridge at Blynman Canal

East Gloucester and Rockport are an island separated from the Cape Ann mainland, including Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex, by the Annisquam River and Ipswich Bay. There are two passages over the Annisquam connecting East and West Gloucester: The A. Piatt Andrew Bridge and the Blynman drawbridge over the Blynman Canal, known locally as “The Cut.”

The Blynman Canal was dug in 1643 and subsequently dredged by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1907, when the Cut bridge was rebuilt and electrified.¹ The original freshwater main, natural gas pipes, and electric cables connecting East and West Gloucester were laid in the Spooner Tunnel under the Canal in 1907; this tunnel was abandoned in 2012, when the cables and pipes were moved up the Annisquam River near the Wastewater Treatment Plant.² Route 127, known as Western Avenue, spans the bridge from the west side to Stacey’s Boulevard in the east. Though the Spooner Tunnel was abandoned, there are still many key utilities — including water, sewer and cable lines — in the Boulevard roadway. The Boulevard, a key commercial and tourist in Gloucester, was built on unconsolidated material that makes it vulnerable to washing out due to wave action and sink holes caused by water main breaks.³

While the seawall west of the drawbridge was improved, the area, which is in a FEMA floodzone, remains vulnerable to flooding and storm surges.⁴ The Blynman drawbridge is electrified and has been stuck in the ‘down’ position during previous storms due to power outages.⁵ Additionally, flooding that overtops Gloucester High School’s Newell Stadium impacts the Blynman Canal channel.⁶

During large storm events, Western Avenue (or Route 127) is one of two critical roadways for citizens evacuating to the mainland. The only other route off the island, Route 128, will flood near Causeway Street in Gloucester and block egress for East Gloucester and Rockport residents.