Crosses Connecticut River Design truss bridge Opened 10 September 1938 Location Gill Body of water Connecticut River | Locale Gill and Turners Falls Construction end 1938 Total length 528 m Bridge type Truss bridge Carry Pedestrian | |
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Carries pedestrian and vehicular traffic Address 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA 01376, USA Similar French King Bridge, Turners Falls Road Bridge, General Pierce Bridge, Calvin Coolidge Bridge, Bulkeley Bridge | ||
Officially the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge, the Gill-Montague Bridge is a steel deck truss bridge crossing the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. It connects the Town of Gill with the village of Turners Falls in the Town of Montague. The bridge carries automobile and pedestrian traffic.
History
Before the bridge was constructed, a ferry known as "Bissel's Ferry" operated approximately a quarter-mile upriver from this site. In 1878, the ferry was replaced by an earlier bridge, known as the Upper or 'Red' Suspension Bridge -- distinguishing it from the "Lower Suspension Bridge," at the current downriver site of the Turners Falls Road Bridge -- which was 563 feet long. Damaged beyond repair in the devastating Connecticut Valley flood of 1936, it was replaced by the current bridge in 1938 and torn down in 1942 to recover materials for the war effort; its piers remain on the river banks.
The current structure began construction on May 17, 1937 and was completed in September 1938. The bridge was dedicated on Saturday, September 10, 1938. By 2010, the road deck of the bridge had become riddled with potholes and uneven pavement. A major renovation project began in summer 2010 and finished in 2014 at an estimated cost of $40.7 million.