The Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge (also known as the Northampton Lattice Truss Bridge) is a former crossing of
Boston and Maine Railroad over the
Connecticut River in western
Massachusetts
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, connecting the towns of
Northampton and
Hadley, by the
Norwottuck Rail Trail
The Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail, formerly the Norwottuck Rail Trail, is an combination bicycle/pedestrian paved rail trail running from Northampton, Massachusetts, through Hadley and Amherst, to Belchertown, Massachusetts. It opened in 1992, a ...
, which is currently used for bicycle and foot traffic.
History
The Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge is an eight-span steel
lattice truss bridge. It crosses Elwell Island in the middle of the river, providing no access to the island in an attempt to keep the island otherwise untouched. Riding over the bridge shows eight spans, with two of them over Elwell Island. It was built by the R. F. Hawkins Ironworks Company.
To survive the 1936 flood, railroad cars loaded with scrap metal were placed on the bridge to weigh it down.
Hadley Online
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The bridge was redesigned by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. of Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
, rebuilt by MassHighway
The Massachusetts Highway Department (abbreviated MassHighway) was the highway department in the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1991 until the formation of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in 2009.
The responsibilities ...
, and opened in 1992 to bicycle and foot traffic as part of the Norwottuck Rail Trail
The Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail, formerly the Norwottuck Rail Trail, is an combination bicycle/pedestrian paved rail trail running from Northampton, Massachusetts, through Hadley and Amherst, to Belchertown, Massachusetts. It opened in 1992, a ...
.
See also
*
*List of crossings of the Connecticut River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Connecticut River from its mouth at Long Island Sound upstream to its source at the Connecticut Lakes. The list includes current road and rail crossings, as well as ferries carrying a state hig ...
References
*
External links
*
Image of the Connecticut River Truss Bridge, ca. 1906
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Railroad bridges in Massachusetts
Pedestrian bridges in Massachusetts
Rail trail bridges in the United States
Bridges over the Connecticut River
Bridges in Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Northampton, Massachusetts
Bridges completed in 1887
Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts
History of Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Steel bridges in the United States
Lattice truss bridges in the United States
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