The French King Bridge is a three-span "cantilever arch" style bridge crossing 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...

 on the border of the towns of Erving

Erving, Massachusetts

Erving is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,467 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area.-History:...

 and Gill

Gill, Massachusetts

Gill is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 1,363 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Massachusetts. The bridge carries automobile traffic and is part of Massachusetts Route 2.

The bridge is owned and managed by the Massachusetts Highway Department

Massachusetts Highway Department

The Massachusetts Highway Department was the former name of the highway department in the United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1991 until it became the highway division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on November 1, 2009...

.

History

The French King Bridge, aka FKB, was opened to traffic on September 10, 1932. The bridge was awarded the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in 1932 by the American Institute of Steel Construction

American Institute of Steel Construction

The American Institute of Steel Construction, often abbreviated AISC, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association for the use of structural steel in the construction industry of the United States. It is headquartered in Chicago, IL. Their mission is to make structural steel the...

. It was rebuilt in 1992, and refurbished again between 2008 and 2010.

External links

• Massachusetts Highway Department: French King Bridge