Carries Norwottuck Rail Trail Maintained by MassDOT | Crosses Connecticut River | |
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Locale Northampton, Massachusetts to Hadley, Massachusetts Design steel lattice truss bridge Total length approximately 1,492 feet (454.76 m) | ||
The Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge (also known as the Northampton Lattice Truss Bridge) is a former crossing of Boston and Maine Railroad over the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts, connecting the towns of Northampton and Hadley, by the Norwottuck Rail Trail, which is currently used for bicycle and foot traffic.
History and construction of the bridge
The Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge is an eight-span steel lattice truss bridge. It crosses Elwell Island in the middle of the river, providing no access to the island in an attempt to keep the island otherwise untouched. Riding over the bridge shows eight spans, with two of them over Elwell Island. It was built by the R. F. Hawkins Ironworks Company.
To survive the 1936 flood, railroad cars loaded with scrap metal were placed on the bridge to weigh it down.
The bridge was redesigned by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. of Watertown, rebuilt by MassHighway, and opened in 1992 to bicycle and foot traffic as part of the Norwottuck Rail Trail.