Schell Bridge

The Schell Memorial Bridge is a steel cantilever Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge spanning the Connecticut River in the town of Northfield, Massachusetts. Designed by Edward S. Shaw, the bridge abutments and piers were built by the firm of Ellis & Buswell of Woburn, Massachusetts, and the superstructure was built by the New England Structural Company of East Everett, Massachusetts. The bridge was commissioned by Francis R. Schell, who gave $42,000 for design and construction. Construction began in 1901 and was completed in 1903. In 1985, due to advanced deterioration of the steel truss members, the bridge was barricaded and abandoned.

The Schell Memorial Bridge is a steel cantilever Pennsylvania (Petit) truss bridge spanning the Connecticut River in the town of Northfield, Massachusetts. Designed by Edward S. Shaw, the bridge abutments and piers were built by the firm of Ellis & Buswell of Woburn, Massachusetts, and the superstructure was built by the New England Structural Company of East Everett, Massachusetts. The bridge was commissioned by Francis R. Schell, who gave $42,000 for design and construction. Construction began in 1901 and was completed in 1903. In 1985, due to advanced deterioration of the steel truss members, the bridge was barricaded and abandoned. ==Preservation effort== A year-long engineering study was performed by the Picker Engineering School at Smith College, which determined that the bridge is structurally sound and is a good candidate for rehabilitation. There has been no accessible bridge crossing between East Northfield and West Northfield since the closing of the bridge in 1985, besides the large Route 10 bridge a mile to the South. Northfield is the only town in Massachusetts to be divided by the Connecticut River. It had been proposed that, if preserved, the bridge will be reopened only to travel by foot, bicycle, snowmobile, and emergency vehicle. It would be integrated into the tri-state Rail trail initiative connecting a series of recreational trails in northern Massachusetts, southwestern New Hampshire, and southeastern Vermont. MassDOT has decided to replace the bridge. Refurbishing it would cost roughly $39M, whereas replacement would cost more like $16.3M. The replacement will be a steel tied-arch bridge. ==Image gallery== ==See also== List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts List of crossings of the Connecticut River ==References== ==Further reading== ==External links== Friends of the Schell Bridge

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