Canalside Rail Trail Bridge

Last updated
Canalside Rail Trail Bridge
IMG 3976 New York, New Hampshire, Hartford rail bridge.jpg
Coordinates 42°34′45.3″N72°34′29.53″W / 42.579250°N 72.5748694°W / 42.579250; -72.5748694
Carries Canalside Rail Trail
Crosses Connecticut River
Locale Deerfield / Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA
ID number D06033/M28019
Characteristics
DesignThrough truss bridge
1 × Whipple truss
2 × Warren truss
MaterialCast or Wrought Iron, on masonry piers
No. of spans3
Piers in water2
History
Opened1880, 1936, 2006
Location
Canalside Rail Trail Bridge

The Canalside Rail Trail Bridge (also known as the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (Turners Falls Branch) Bridge) is a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (Turner Falls Branch) rail bridge across the Connecticut River between Deerfield and Montague, Massachusetts. The bridge (Massachusetts numbers: D06033/M28019) is on the Massachusetts Historic Bridge Inventory as a "Historic Metal Truss Bridge", [A] currently the sixth oldest metal truss bridge on the state-wide historic registry. The Canalside Rail Trail, completed in Spring 2008, incorporates this bridge. [B]

Contents

History and construction of the bridge

Originally built in 1880 by Keystone Bridge Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, two of its three spans were knocked off their piers by the floating Montague City Covered Bridge during the 1936 flood. [1] Subsequently, those spans were rebuilt and replaced in 1936 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The remaining span of the original bridge is the oldest surviving span across the Connecticut River. [2] The older span is a Whipple truss design. The newer spans use a modified Warren truss design (vertical truss members are added to the traditional form of a Warren truss).

The bridge was refurbished in 2006 to be part of the new Canalside Rail Trail. [3] [4] However, though the bridge can now be used, the refurbishing is not complete as of July 2007. The western pier has some stones out of place and some stones fallen off. There is currently work going on to fix this issue.

See also

Notes

^  A: "MassHighway must possess evidence that the bridge has been individually listed in, or has been found eligible for individual listing in, the National Register of Historic Places. Bridges that have been found to be contributing elements within National Register-listed or -eligible historic districts, but that do not appear to possess characteristics that would qualify them for individual listing in the National Register, are NOT included in the list." [5]
^  B: Project 604128 DEERFIELD- MONTAGUE- BIKE TRAIL CONSTRUCTION, FRANKLIN COUNTY BIKEWAY (PHASE I, Part A) This proposed project was originally a part of Project # 602958 Franklin County Bikeway (Phase 1, Part B) in Montague that was advertised August 23, 2003. This phase of the bikeway project begins at McClelland Farm Road and continues north along existing abandoned railroad right-of-way before terminating at Montague City Road for a distance of approximately 1.3 miles. The project also includes the modification of the three span, wood trestle, former railroad bridge over the Connecticut River into a bikeway bridge.

# Location:   Town of Montague Construction Begins:  Winter 2005/2006 Construction Ends:  Spring 2008 Resident Engineer:  John Burek [Email MassHighway] Construction Contract Value:  $1,816,361.00 Construction Bid Price:   $1,616,692.50 Initial Construction Estimate:  $1,164,690.00 MassHighway District:   District 2 Current Status:   Bike path under construction (as of 04/10/2006) Additional Info:  Project suspended for winter (as of 12/05/2007) # 43206 -- Construction Contract PF# 604128 - DEERFIELD- MONTAGUE- BIKE TRAIL CONSTRUCTION, FRANKLIN COUNTY BIKEWAY (PHASE I, Part A)  99% Complete # 97333 -- Design -- Bike/Ped Projects FRANKLIN COUNTY BIKEWAY   Final Notice to Proceed:  01/24/2006 Project Designer:   Municipality Funding Source:   Surface Trans. Program Current Status Bike path under construction Additional Info Project suspended for winter Project Initiation Form   PRC Submitted   11/07/2003 Project Review Committee  Received  12/01/2003 Project Review Committee  PRC Approved  12/03/2003 Project Review Committee  Letter  12/30/2003 Project Status  Advertised  09/25/2004 Highway Design Process  Type Study Received   03/01/2004 Highway Design Process  Type Study Comments to DE   05/07/2004 Highway Design Process  1st Structural Submission Received  06/29/2001 Highway Design Process  1st Structural Comments to DE   07/19/2001 Highway Design Process  2nd Structural Design Received  06/29/2001 Highway Design Process  2nd Structural Comments to DE   07/19/2001 Highway Design Process  Subsequent Comments to DE   09/21/2004 Highway Design Process  Subsequent Comments to DE   12/09/2004 Highway Design Process  Bridge Design Approved  01/26/2005 25% Design  25% Plans Received  04/16/1999 25% Design  25% Comments to DE  11/10/1999 25% Design  Design Public Hearing   06/15/2000 75% Design  75% Plans Received  07/01/2001 75% Design  75% Comments to DE  10/30/2001 100% Design   100% Plans Received   05/27/2004 100% Design   100% Plans Received   06/25/2004 Final Design  PS&E to CEPO  09/20/2004 Final Design  PS&E Received   11/11/2004 100% Design Review  100% Plans Received   06/03/2004 100% Signs/Markings   100% Plans Approved   06/29/2004 100% TCA  100% Plans Approved   06/08/2004 ENV STATUS  Section Cleared - Federal Aid   06/30/2005 Document/Plan Submissions   0   06/29/2004 

[6] [7]

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References

  1. Klekowski, Ed; Wilda, Elizabeth; Klekowski, Libby (2003). The Great Flood of 1936: The Connecticut River Story (DVD). Springfield, Massachusetts: WGBY. Event occurs at 15:16. OCLC   58055715. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  2. Massachusetts Historical Commission, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (1982). MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report, Montague. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. pp. 12–13.
  3. "Federal budgeting for this project". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  4. Congressman John Oliver's report on this effort
  5. "Historic Metal Truss Bridges in Massachusetts". MassHighway. Archived from the original on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
  6. "604128 DEERFIELD- MONTAGUE- BIKE TRAIL CONSTRUCTION, FRANKLIN COUNTY BIKEWAY (PHASE I, Part A)". MassHighway. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  7. "602958 MONTAGUE- CONSTRUCTION OF THE FRANKLIN COUNTY BIKEWAY (PHASE I)". MassHighway. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2008-07-30.