River Road Stone Arch Railroad Bridge

Last updated
River Road Stone Arch Railroad Bridge
River Road bridge from the north, June 2021.jpg
The bridge in June 2021
USA Connecticut location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationRiver Rd. and former Air Line RR right-of-way, Colchester, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°34′50.2″N72°25′30″W / 41.580611°N 72.42500°W / 41.580611; -72.42500 Coordinates: 41°34′50.2″N72°25′30″W / 41.580611°N 72.42500°W / 41.580611; -72.42500
Arealess than one acre
Built1887 (1887)
NRHP reference No. 86002727 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 21, 1986

The River Road Stone Arch Railroad Bridge is a historic bridge carrying the former Air Line Railroad right-of-way over River Road in Salmon River State Forest in Colchester, Connecticut. Built in 1887, it is a well-preserved example of a period masonry railroad bridge, built as part of a state-mandated program for the reduction of the number of grade crossings in the state. [2] The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The River Road Stone Arch Railroad Bridge is located in a rural setting of northwestern Colchester, within Salmon River State Forest. River Road is a gravel road paralleling the Blackledge River, between the river and the railroad right of way. When the river and road bend to the northwest, the railroad line crosses both, the road on this bridge, and the river on the Blackledge River Railroad Bridge. This bridge is a round-arch masonry structure, made out of mortared ashlar brownstone. The arch has a span at its base of 22 feet (6.7 m) and is 18 feet (5.5 m) high. The sidewalls of the bridge rise 4 feet (1.2 m) above the former height of the tracks, and all four corners of the bridge have wing walls that extend the structure to retain part of the embankment carrying the right of way. [2]

The Air Line Railway was developed in the 1870s, as a more straight-line connection between New Haven, Connecticut and Boston, Massachusetts, via Middletown. Originally this was a grade crossing, but increasing train speeds prompted the state to mandate railroads operating in it to reduce the number of such crossings. This bridge was built in 1887, and was apparently one of several similar bridges. Its arch voussoirs are individually numbered, suggesting that they were cut at a central location and shipped to the site. [2]


See also

Related Research Articles

Farmington River River in the United States of America

The Farmington River is a river, 46.7 miles (75.2 km) in length along its main stem, located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries extending into southwest Massachusetts. The longest route of the river, from the origin of its West Branch, is 80.4 miles (129.4 km) long, making it the Connecticut River's longest tributary by 2.3 miles (3.7 km) over the major river directly to its north, the Westfield River. The Farmington River's watershed covers 609 square miles (1,580 km2). Historically, the river played an important role in small-scale manufacturing in towns along its course, but it is now mainly used for recreation and drinking water.

Rocky Neck State Park Public recreation area in Connecticut, US

Rocky Neck State Park is a public recreation area on Long Island Sound in the town of East Lyme, Connecticut, United States. The state park's 708 acres (287 ha) include a tidal river, a broad salt marsh, white sand beaches, rocky shores, and a large stone pavilion dating from the 1930s. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Thomas Viaduct

The Thomas Viaduct spans the Patapsco River and Patapsco Valley between Relay, Maryland and Elkridge, Maryland, USA. It was commissioned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O); built between July 4, 1833, and July 4, 1835; and named for Philip E. Thomas, the company's first president. It remains the world's oldest multiple arched stone railroad bridge.

Patterson Viaduct

The Patterson Viaduct was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as part of its Old Main Line during May to December 1829. The viaduct spanned the Patapsco River at Ilchester, Maryland. It was heavily damaged by a flood in 1866 and subsequently replaced with other structures.

Air Line State Park Trail

The Air Line State Park Trail is a rail trail and linear state park located in Connecticut. The trail is divided into sections designated South, North a piece of the East Coast Greenway, and the Thompson addition. An additional 3.6 mile spur to Colchester is sometimes designated as part of the Air Line trail. At the Massachusetts state line, the trail connects to the Southern New England Trunkline Trail, a 22 mile long trail to Franklin, MA built on the same right-of-way. Since 2018, the town of Portland, CT has also maintained a 2.3 mile portion of the Airline Trail, connecting to the southern end of the state park at the town line with East Hampton.

Blackledge River River in Middlesex and Tolland County, Connecticut , US

The Blackledge River is a tributary of the Salmon River which courses 16.4 miles (26.4 km) through eastern Connecticut in the United States.

Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District United States historic place

The Middlefield–Becket Stone Arch Railroad Bridge District is a historic district extending through parts of the towns of Chester, Middlefield, and Becket, Massachusetts. The district encompasses a 3.7-mile (6.0 km) stretch of railroad right of way in which there are ten bridge crossings, including nine over the west branch of the Westfield River. The bridges were built in four time periods: 1840, 1866, 1912, and 1928. Nine of the ten bridges are stone or concrete masonry work, and one is a truss girder bridge. All are, with only minor exceptions, in excellent and original condition. The bridges were built to carry the Western Railroad through on its run from the Connecticut River to the Hudson River. This section of railroad was the most expensive the company had to build, costing over $1 million in 1840.

Cornwall Bridge

The Cornwall Bridge is a two-lane, concrete arch bridge carrying U.S. Route 7/Connecticut Route 4 over the Housatonic River and the Housatonic Railroad in northwestern Connecticut. It was built in 1930 by C.W. Blakeslee and Sons for the Connecticut Highway Department and consists of six open-spandrel arches spanning 674 feet (205 m), and is a fairly large example of concrete open-spandrel construction. The bridge was reconstructed in 1994 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Packerville Bridge United States historic place

The Packerville Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge carrying Packerville Road over Mill Brook in Plainfield, Connecticut. Built in 1886, it is one of less than twenty surviving 19th-century stone arch bridges in the state, and is a well-preserved example of vernacular 19th century masonry bridge technology. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Blackledge River Railroad Bridge United States historic place

The Blackledge River Railroad Bridge is a Warren truss bridge that was built on the site of a c. 1870 railroad bridge. The original bridge was completed and opened by August 3, 1877. Likely built by the Colchester Railway Company, the bridge was part of the 3.59 miles (5.78 km) of track from Colchester, Connecticut, to Turnerville. The line was leased to the Boston & New York Air Line Railroad and reported improvement in 1879 and a new 110-foot long (34 m) iron bridge by 1881. The line was leased to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1882. After dominating the region, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad petitioned for changes to the Air Line and the approval came on July 7, 1911.

Reynolds Bridge

The Reynolds Bridge in Thomaston, Connecticut is an open-spandrel concrete arch bridge carrying Waterbury Road over the Naugatuck River. Built in 1928, it is one of a small number of surviving open-spandrel bridges in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

East Putney Brook Stone Arch Bridge United States historic place

The East Putney Brook Stone Arch Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge in eastern Putney, Vermont. Built in 1902, it is a rare statewide example of a 20th-century stone bridge, and one of a number of such area bridges built by Townshend farmer and mason James Otis Follett. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The bridge is located just west (upstream) of the present alignment of River Road, which it formerly carried.

Samson Occom Bridge United States historic place

Bridge No. 1860, also known as the Samson Occom Bridge, is a fieldstone arch bridge in Montville, Connecticut, United States. Constructed by the Connecticut State Highway Department in 1936 as a Works Progress Administration project, it is located on Mohegan tribal land in an area that was once a part of Fort Shantok State Park. The bridge carries traffic from Massapeag Side Road over the Shantok Brook, a tributary of the Thames River. Spanning 12 feet (3.7 m) across the brook, the bridge's arch rises about 6 feet (1.8 m) above the water. According to a 2011 Connecticut Department of Transportation report, it carries 1,100 vehicles per day. Samson Occom Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Old Stone Arch Bridge (Bound Brook, New Jersey) United States historic place

The Old Stone Arch Bridge is a bridge located in Bound Brook, New Jersey, United States. It is the second-oldest extant bridge in the US, after the Frankford Avenue Bridge over Pennypack Creek in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built in 1731, it is the oldest bridge in New Jersey. It spans the Green Brook and connects Bound Brook with Middlesex Borough in northern central New Jersey.

Pequabuck Bridge United States historic place

The Pequabuck Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge, carrying a paved multiuse trail across the Pequabuck River in Farmington, Connecticut. Built in 1833, the bridge formerly carried the adjacent Meadow Road. It is one of the state's only surviving early 19th-century stone arch bridges and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Stone Arch Underpass United States historic place

The Stone Arch Underpass is a historic stone arch bridge spanning Glen Road in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Built about 1848, it carried the Boston and Maine Railroad's former Northern Line. It is one of a small number of 19th-century stone arch bridges in the state, and the only one known in central western New Hampshire. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The railroad right-of-way has been functionally abandoned, and the bridge may become part of a continuation of the Northern Rail Trail.

Farmington River Railroad Bridge United States historic place

The Farmington River Railroad Bridge spans the Farmington River in Windsor, Connecticut, just west of Palisado Avenue and north of Pleasant Street. It carries two tracks of the main railroad line between Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1867, it is one of the state's finest examples of a stone arch railroad bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

IANR Railroad Underpass United States historic place

The IANR Railroad Underpass is a historic structure located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It carried railroad tracks for 24 feet (7.3 m) over Ely Road. The railroad probably built this stone arch bridge, which was completed in 1887. This kind of structure became more popular in the late 19th century as a railroad bridge because it was more durable than metal truss bridges, and they "projected a refined and sophisticated image." It features a semi-circular arch, a beltcourse, coursed-ashlar masonry, stepped wing walls that are flared, a parapet with projecting coping, and an elongated keystone with the date "1887" carved on it. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It now carries the Cedar River Recreation Trail over the street.

West Sixth Street Bridge Historic bridge in Austin, Texas

The West Sixth Street Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1887, the bridge is one of the state's oldest masonry arch bridges. It is located at the site of the first bridge in Austin, carrying Sixth Street across Shoal Creek to link the western and central parts of the old city. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Route 146 Historic District United States historic place

The Route 146 Historic District encompasses a historic streetscape in Branford and Guilford, Connecticut. Extending along Connecticut Route 146 between Flat Rock Road in Branford and the West River bridge in Guilford, it includes two centuries of rural residential architecture, and a well-preserved pre-World War II street layout created as a "state assistance road" in the 1920s. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "NRHP nomination for River Road Stone Arch Railroad Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-01-31.