Schell Bridge

Schell Bridge
Schell Bridge
Crosses	Connecticut River
Locale	Northfield, Massachusetts
Maintained by	no one
Design	Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge
Material	steel
Total length	515 feet (157 m)
Opened	1903
Closed	1987
Coordinates	42°42′44″N 72°27′12″W / 42.71222°N 72.45333°WCoordinates: 42°42′44″N 72°27′12″W / 42.71222°N 72.45333°W

The Schell Bridge is a steel Pennsylvania truss bridge across the Connecticut River in the town of Northfield, Massachusetts. It has a close history with Northfield Mount Hermon, an elite preparatory school in the town. The bridge was closed in 1987, and steel plates were welded across each portal to prevent access. The bridge had been tentatively scheduled for demolition in 2007 or 2008;^[1] however, preservationists are actively seeking the preservation and restoration of the bridge.

Application has been made to the National Park Service to add the Schell Bridge to the National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] Preservation effort

The Friends of Schell Bridge are earnestly working to save the Schell Bridge. A year-long engineering study was performed by the Picker Engineering School at Smith College which determined that the bridge is structurally sound and is a good candidate for rehabilitation.^[1] There has been no accessible bridge crossing between East Northfield and West Northfield since the closing of the bridge in 1987, besides the large Route 10 bridge a mile to the South. Northfield is the only town in Franklin County to be divided by the Connecticut River.

It has been proposed that, if preserved, the bridge will be reopened only to travel by foot, bicycle, snowmobile, and emergency vehicle. It would be integrated into the tri-state rails-to-trails initiative connecting a series of recreational trails in northern Massachusetts, southwestern New Hampshire, and southeastern Vermont. The bridge would also be available for evacuations, especially important as Northfield is located only 5 miles (8 km) from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.

[edit] Image gallery

This 2007 photograph shows a steel plate across the east portal of the Schell bridge. A similar one is on the west portal, since the bridge deck is rusting through. The top of the plate reads "Where the sidewalk ends". The plate has a "NO TRESPASSING" sign bolted to it as well.
View of the metal barriers while on Schell bridge. The barriers were put up to prevent people from crossing the bridge, but many (young) townies use it as a place to escape, especially during the summer when many jump in
View of Schell Bridge facing the east bank of the Connecticut River
View of Schell Bridge facing the west bank of the Connecticut River |