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Willimansett Bridge
Willimansett Bridge
Coordinates	42°11′42″N 72°36′05″W / 42.19500°N 72.60139°W
Carries	pedestrian and vehicular traffic; Route 116 / Route 141; plumbing
Crosses	Connecticut River
Locale	Chicopee, Massachusetts to Holyoke, Massachusetts
Characteristics
Design	truss bridge
Total length	800 ft (240 m)
Load limit	7 tons for small trucks; 8 tons for medium trucks; 12 tons for large trucks
History
Designer	Edward S. Shaw
Opened	1892
Location

The Willimansett Bridge is a steel truss bridge over the Connecticut River located between Chicopee, Massachusetts and Holyoke, Massachusetts. It carries Massachusetts state routes 116 and 141.

History

Prior to its construction, a "free bridge at Willamansett" was discussed at least as early as 1886, with the Commonwealth's committee on roads and bridges visiting the site in an official capacity on March 18, 1886.^[2] The bridge was built in 1891 by Richard F. Hawkins Ironworks^[3](superstructure) and Wright Lyons and Company (substructure) with Edward S. Shaw as engineer^[4] at an original cost of $178,326.69.^[5]

Maker's plaques of the bridge before and after the renovations of 2011 – 2015.

The bridge received new weight restrictions in the summer of 2007. A refurbishment project began in August 2011. The $19 million project included bridge deck replacement, sidewalk replacement, bridge rail replacement, substructure repairs, cleaning & painting of structural steel. Girders, steel trusses and one or more of the piers will be replaced. The bridge closed to traffic during the 2.5 year planned construction but was usable by pedestrians during the project.^[6] The original contractor went bankrupt, causing a 9-month delay. Northern Construction took over the work.^[7] In 2014, an additional cost $3 million was added to the project.^[8] The bridge re-opened on June 12, 2015.^[9]

References

^ History of Chicopee, MA
^ Williams, John E., ed. (17 March 1886). "Hampden County". County News. The Amherst Record. Amherst, Massachusetts. p. 8. Retrieved 13 June 2017. The legislature's committee on roads and bridges will visit the site of the proposed free bridge at Willamansett tomorrow (Thursday.)
^ * Toomey, Daniel P. (1892). Massachusetts of Today: A Memorial of the State Historical and Biographical Issued for the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Columbia. p. 347.Google books
^ See Maker's Plaque image
^ * Copeland, Alfred Minott (1902). Massachusetts of Today: A Memorial of the State Historical and Biographical Issued for the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Century Memorial Pub. Co. p. 173.Google books
^ "Chicopee/Holyoke bridge closes for repair work - BostonHerald.com". Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2011-08-16. The Boston Herald/Associated Press ^{[dead link]}
^ DeForge, Jeanette (13 May 2014). "Willimansett Bridge reconstruction work to resume in Chicopee and Holyoke". MassLive LLC. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
^ DeForge, Jeanette (13 May 2014). "Willimansett Bridge between Chicopee and Holyoke to be completed in July 2015; cost increased by $3 million". MassLive, LLC. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
^ Sacharczyk, Tamara (12 June 2015). "Morning commuters save time traveling over Willimansett Bridge". 22News WWLP.COM. LIN Television Corporation. Retrieved 18 June 2015.