That’s what the counter weight is for 1/2 of the lift bridge in Duluth (there’s one on each side). The counter weights of course mean that the power required for lifting the bridge is primarily needed to overcome friction, not the actual weight of the bridge. Imagine the hole that weight would make if it were to come loose way up in the air. Not to fear, from what I’ve seen this bridge is well maintained.

Went up to Duluth to get some shots of the tall ships visiting for the Maritime festival. As I suspected the tall ships were surrounded by a collection of of boats making it impossible to get any clean shots. This picture is the Pride of Baltimore II, coming in to dock. It has working cannons, which were fired (blanks of course) a few times on its way into and in the harbor.