French King Bridge
| French King Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 42°35′52″N 72°29′48″W / 42.59778°N 72.49667°WCoordinates: 42°35′52″N 72°29′48″W / 42.59778°N 72.49667°W |
| Carries |
 Route 2 pedestrian and vehicular traffic |
| Crosses | Connecticut River |
| Locale | Gill, Massachusetts and Erving, Massachusetts |
| Maintained by | MassDOT |
| ID number | E-10-014 or G-04-009 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Spandrel-braced steel deck arch bridge |
| Total length | 782 ft (238.4 m) |
| Width | 47.8 ft (14.57 m) |
| Height | 140 feet (43 m)[1] |
| Longest span | 460 ft (140.2 m) |
| History | |
| Construction begin | September 1931 |
| Construction end | 1932 |
| Opened | September 10, 1932 |
  French King Bridge Location in Massachusetts | |
The French King Bridge is a three-span "cantilever arch" style bridge[2] crossing the Connecticut River on the border of the towns of Erving and Gill, Massachusetts. The bridge carries automobile traffic and is part of Massachusetts Route 2.
The bridge is owned and managed by MassDOT.
History
The French King Bridge, aka FKB, was opened to traffic on September 10, 1932. The bridge was awarded the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in 1932 by the American Institute of Steel Construction. It was rebuilt in 1992, and refurbished again between 2008 and 2010.[3][4]
Suicides
In 2009, police said that between 26 and 31 people were known to have leapt from the bridge since its construction in 1932, with four survivors.[5]
Name
The name comes from a nearby geographic feature named French King Rock.
Image gallery
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A view north from the top of the bridge during summer (August 2007)
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A view from the bridge to Connecticut River at Autumn
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A view of the road surface and guard rails
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The southwest lamp post
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Guardrails on the north side of the bridge
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The honorary plaque on the North West side of the bridge
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Federal Writers' Project (1937). Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People. American Guide Series. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 453.
- ↑ Massachusetts Highway Department. "French King Bridge". Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
It is of engineering interest as an unusual development of the uncommon three-span, "cantilever arch" bridge type, in that definite reactions were jacked into its steel work at the conclusion of construction, resulting in a bridge which is structurally continuous across four supports.
- ↑ Project 603723R contract granted
- ↑ Project status page
- ↑ (subscription required)
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