Great River Bridge (Westfield)
| Great River Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Carries |   US 202 / Route 10 |
| Crosses | Westfield River |
| Locale | Westfield, Massachusetts |
| Maintained by | Westfield |
| Design | camelback truss bridge |
| Material | steel |
| Number of spans | 2 |
| Piers in water | 1 |
| Construction begin | 1938 (south-bound) 2007 (north-bound) |
| Construction end | 1939 (south-bound) 2009 (north-bound) |
| Daily traffic | Road Vehicles |
| Coordinates | 42°7′44″N 72°44′45″W / 42.12889°N 72.74583°WCoordinates: 42°7′44″N 72°44′45″W / 42.12889°N 72.74583°W |
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The Great River Bridge in Westfield, Massachusetts is a camelback truss bridge over the Westfield River.
[edit] History
Built starting in 1938, following the flood that year, and completed in 1939, it was the main north-south crossing of the river for the next 70 years. The bridge has long been a bottleneck splitting the city.
Starting no later than the 1970s, people started talking about taking some sort of action. The result is a similar camelback truss bridge, begun in 2007. The new bridge opened for traffic and the old one was closed for renovations on August 18, 2009. The area surrounding the bridges has been improved in appearance with new sidewalks, lights, and pavement.[1] Once this task is complete, each bridge will carry three lanes of traffic in one direction.[2] This also includes a small park in between the road on both sides of the river, and a new train bridge slightly higher up than the previous one, because the southbound bridge would otherwise be impossible for trucks to access.
[edit] Reconstruction of the original bridge
Rehabilitation of the original bridge was halted in April 2010 due to major deterioration of the understructure that was discovered by workers. It was reported on July 18, 2010 in the newspaper The Republican of Springfield that another year would be added on to the project at a cost of an additional "several million dollars", according to State Senator Michael Knapik. It is expected to be reopened in late 2011[3], and was opened in November 2011.
[edit] References
- ^ Kriger, Barry (2009-08-19). "Great River Bridge opens in Westfield". Springfield, Massachusetts: WWLP-TV. http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/wwlp_local_Great_River_bridge_opens_in_Westfield_200908182218. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ "WESTFIELD- BRIDGE REHABILITATION, W-25-010, W-25-022 & CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BRIDGE, W-25-052 (GREAT RIVER BRIDGE)". Boston, Massachusetts: MassHighway. http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=600933. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ Mirabelli, Manon (2010-07-18). "Original Westfield Great River Bridge in worse condition than anticipated". Springfield, Massachusetts: The Republican. http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/07/original_westfield_great_river.html. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
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