Canalside Rail Trail Bridge
Encyclopedia
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", currently the sixth oldest metal truss bridge
on the state-wide historic registry. The Canalside Rail Trail
, completed in Spring 2008, incorporates this bridge.
, two of its three spans were knocked off their piers by the floating Montague City Covered Bridge during the 1936 flood. Subsequently, those spans were rebuilt and replaced in 1936 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, Phoenixville, PA
. The remaining span of the original bridge is the oldest surviving span across the Connecticut River. 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
. 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.
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
rail bridge across the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
between
Deerfield
Deerfield, Massachusetts
Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 as of the 2000 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area in Western Massachusetts, lying only north of the city of Springfield.Deerfield includes the...
and Montague
Montague, Massachusetts
Montague is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The bridge (Massachusetts numbers: D06033/M28019) is on the Massachusetts Historic Bridge Inventory as a "Historic Metal Truss Bridge", currently the sixth oldest metal truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
on the state-wide historic registry. The Canalside Rail Trail
Canalside Rail Trail
The Canalside Rail Trail is a trail, partially on old railroad beds, from East Deerfield, Massachusetts, to Turners Falls, town of Montague, Massachusetts. A short portion of the trail runs along town streets, but the majority is on a paved trail from which motor vehicles are prohibited. The...
, completed in Spring 2008, incorporates this bridge.
History and construction of the bridge
Originally built in 1880 by Keystone Bridge Co., Pittsburgh, PAPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, two of its three spans were knocked off their piers by the floating Montague City Covered Bridge during the 1936 flood. Subsequently, those spans were rebuilt and replaced in 1936 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, Phoenixville, PA
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
. The remaining span of the original bridge is the oldest surviving span across the Connecticut River. 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
Canalside Rail Trail
The Canalside Rail Trail is a trail, partially on old railroad beds, from East Deerfield, Massachusetts, to Turners Falls, town of Montague, Massachusetts. A short portion of the trail runs along town streets, but the majority is on a paved trail from which motor vehicles are prohibited. The...
. However, though the bridge can now be used, the refurbishing is not complete as of July 2007. The western pier
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
has some stones out of place and some stones fallen off. There is currently work going on to fix this issue.
