General Pierce Bridge

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General Pierce Bridge
IMG 3965 Montague City Road Bridge.jpg
General Pierce Bridge, taken from the Canalside Railtrail Bridge
Coordinates 42°34′49″N72°34′47″W / 42.58028°N 72.57972°W / 42.58028; -72.57972
Carriesvehicular and pedestrian traffic
Crosses Connecticut River
Locale Greenfield and Montague, Massachusetts
Maintained by MassHighway
ID number G-12-020
Characteristics
Designsteel truss bridge
Total length229.5 m (753.0 ft)
Width7.9 m (25.9 ft)
History
Construction end1947
Statistics
Daily traffic 19,400
Location
General Pierce Bridge

The General Pierce Bridge is a steel truss road bridge over the Connecticut River between Greenfield, Massachusetts and Montague, Massachusetts carrying Montague City Road.

Contents

General Pierce Bridge, between spans facing northeast. IMG 3949-Montague-City-Road-bridge-between-spans.jpg
General Pierce Bridge, between spans facing northeast.

In summer 2021, the bridge was closed to vehicle traffic while undergoing major repairs but remained open for foot traffic. Originally expected to fully reopen in summer 2024, [1] repairs had been completed ahead of schedule and the bridge completely reopened by the end of February 2023. [2]

Previous structures

Montague City Bridge with the Trolley Bridge just visible behind it. Montague-City-Covered-Bridge.jpg
Montague City Bridge with the Trolley Bridge just visible behind it.
Earlier image of the covered bridge and the trolley bridge, with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Bridge (now known as the Canalside Railtrail Bridge) in the background Montague-old-toll-bridge.jpg
Earlier image of the covered bridge and the trolley bridge, with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Bridge (now known as the Canalside Railtrail Bridge) in the background

The current bridge was preceded at that location by two bridges destroyed in the Flood of 1936. Upstream was the wooden double-decked covered bridge known as the Montague City Bridge, and carried rail traffic on top, with other traffic below. It was built in 1866, and was over 860 feet (260 m) long, with 5 spans. Next was the trolley bridge, which was a metal through-truss. [3]

When the Flood of 1936 came, the trolley bridge was knocked off its piers and sunk into the river, where it remains. The covered rail bridge floated down the river, where it knocked two spans off the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Bridge (now known as the Canalside Rail Trail Bridge), then proceeded down the river to destroy the Sunderland Bridge. [3]

See also

  1. ↑ Marcus, Max (February 5, 2020). "General Pierce Bridge to be Restored by 2024". The Greenfield Recorder . Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  2. ↑ Mendoza, Julian (February 27, 2023). "General Pierce Bridge fully reopens after 2 years of construction". The Greenfield Recorder. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Klekowski, Ed; Wilda, Elizabeth; Klekowski, Libby (2003). The Great Flood of 1936: The Connecticut River Story (DVD). Springfield, Massachusetts: WGBY. Event occurs at 10:35. OCLC   58055715. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.

5.

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/northern-construction-service-to-preserve-renovate-restore-general-pierce-bridge/53398 By Joe R. Parzych AN FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST of Joe R. Parzych Photography etc./ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-parzych-04362515b

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