Great River Bridge (Westfield)
Encyclopedia
The Great River Bridge in Westfield, Massachusetts
is a camelback truss bridge
over the Westfield River
.
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. Once this task is complete, each bridge will carry three lanes of traffic in one direction. 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.
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.
Westfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 41,094 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 01085 for homes and businesses, 01086 for Westfield State...
is a camelback 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...
over the Westfield River
Westfield River
The Westfield River in Metropolitan Springfield, Massachusetts, is a major tributary of the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts. The Westfield River has four major tributary branches that confluence in the City of Westfield, for which the river is named...
.
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 bottleneckBottleneck
A bottleneck is a phenomenon where the performance or capacity of an entire system is limited by a single or limited number of components or resources. The term bottleneck is taken from the 'assets are water' metaphor. As water is poured out of a bottle, the rate of outflow is limited by the width...
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. Once this task is complete, each bridge will carry three lanes of traffic in one direction. 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.
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 SpringfieldSpringfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
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
Michael Knapik
Michael R. Knapik is a member of the Massachusetts Senate, representing the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District. He is a member of the Republican Party.Sen...
. It is expected to be reopened in late 2011.