The Sunderland Bridge is a crossing over the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

in western

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, connecting the towns of

South Deerfield South Deerfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to the Yankee Candle Company. At the 2010 census, the population of South Deerfield was 1,880. S ...

and

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, carrying

Massachusetts Route 116 Route 116 is a north–south (though in its northern part it is more east-west) state highway in Massachusetts. The route runs from Route 20A in Springfield through mill towns, college towns and rural towns, crossing the Connecticut River th ...

History and construction of the bridge

There was at least one preceding bridge at this location, a metal through-truss bridge destroyed by the floating Montague City Covered Bridge during the Flood of 1936. The current Sunderland Bridge is a deck

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

completed in 1937. Reconstruction of the bridge was completed in 1994. Replacement of the original art deco railings by modern ones was controversial.

History and construction of the bridge

References

See also