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Keyes Associates
PROJECT CREDIT SHEET
Project Name
Project Location
Owner /Client
Project Designer
Contractor:
Project Cost
Project Completion Date
Paul 0. Ha sel, P.E.
Leonard D. Warburton, P. E.
Rehabilitation of Hotel Bridge
Bridge carries Old Shepard Road over
the Mill River in the Leeds Section
of Northampton.
City of Northampton
Department of Public Works
125 Locust Street
Northampton, MA 01060
Mr. Peter J. McNulty, Sr. -
Assistant Director of Public Works
(413) 586 -6950
Keyes Associates
55 Town Line Road
Wethersfield, CT 06109
Project Engineer: Mr. Michael J. Wrang
(203) 563 -2341
Warner Brothers Inc.
P.O. Box 395
Sunderland, MA 01375
Project Engineer:
Mr. John A. Kopinsky
$67,884
September 1985
Director of Public Works
Northampton, MA.
Associate Partner, Keyes Associates
Wethersfield, CT.
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�Replacing_De
Weighty
matters
Violations of
span's load limit
prompt warning
By JUDITH B. CAMERON
Staff Writer
LEEDS — The single -lane iron truss
bridge over the Mill River known as the
Hotel Bridge may be closed if the city
cannot keep trucks weighing more than
3 tons off the bridge, according to an
inspection report by a state highway
official.
At issue is protecting the integrity of
the 132- year -old structure, which is
believed to be the oldest bridge in the
city. The span is being compromised by
vehicles violating the posted weight limit.
Samuel Brindis, director of the
Northampton Department of Public
Works, said the state will force the
closure of the bridge if the city is not
able to substantiate its ability to enforce
the posted weight limit.
"I wouldn't say enforcement is non-
existent, but it is not the highest
priority," Police Chief Russell
Sienkiewicz said of the weight limit.
Sienkiewicz said he will direct police
officers patrolling Leeds to watch for
vehicles weighing more than 3 tons that
attempt to cross the bridge.
"Clearly, we don't actively and regu-
larly monitor a single -lane bridge. We
don't have the resources to do that," he
said.
The penalty for a vehicle violating the
weight limit of a bridge is a $200 fine.
Inspector's report
The possible closing of the bridge
emerged after a state inspection Sept.
16, according to the inspector's report.
The bridge, which connects Water and
Main streets in the village center, was
rehabilitated in 1985 after local resi-
dents fought plans to have the structure
replaced entirely.
The work received a state architec-
tural design award for public structures.
The bridge played a vital role in Leeds
when the village was a bustling manu-
facturing center. But the span is now
secondary to the Mulberry Bridge,
located about half a mile away on
Mulberry Street.
During a routine inspection of the
bridge in September, the state inspec-
tor watched a delivery truck, which he
said was over the 3 -ton limit, cross the
bridge.
Three tons is 6,000 pounds, above the
typical weight of cars, but less than
many commercial trucks.
The inspector also wrote in his report
that a Water Street resident reported
that large city Water Department trucks
frequently cross the bridge.
Brindis said he will investigate
whether city trucks are using the bridge.
One of the city's chlorination stations
is nearby.
Brindis also said he has asked
Sienkiewicz to outline the Police Depart-
ment's policy on enforcing the weight
limit.
Sienkiewicz said that one long -term
solution to preserve the bridge and
prevent damage would be to close it to
vehicular traffic and only allow pedes-
trians and bicyclists to use it.
Raymond LaBarge, a former city
councilor who lives on Water Street,
said he believes trucks should be
banned from using the bridge. "They
should close it to trucks. Cars are no
problem," he said.
LaBarge said that the bridge is often
used by Water Street residents — who
he said will be upset if the bridge closes.
WEIU
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GORDON DANIELS
The single -lane iron truss bridge over the Mill River in Leeds, known locally as the Hotel Bridge, may
be closed, if the city cannot keep trucks weighing more than 3 tons off of it.
"I'd hate to see it close, it's a historic Yentsch said he and his family have
thing," said Lawrence Yentsch, who regularly driven over the bridge since
lives on Water Street. moving to Water Street 20 years ago.
CORDON DANIELS
The 132- year -old structure in Leeds, which is believed to be the
oldest bridge in the city, is used by residents but isn't considered a
primary bridge in the area.
I
Keyes Associates
DESIGNER'S STATEMENT
Bridge Description -
The Old Shepard Road Bridge, also referenced to as the Hotel Bridge, was
built in 1876 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. It is
a single lane bridge, 130 feet in length from center line of bearing to
center line of bearing. The superstructure is a pin connected wrought
iron through pratt truss. Steel floor beams are perpendicular to the
truss, and stringers run parallel with a bituminous filled corrugated
steel bridge plank deck system. The entire structure is founded on stone
abutments.
The rural area site is located in the leeds section of Northampton
consisting of mixed residential /industry. The area is divided by a
series of oxbow rivers created in the 1800's to provide natural power to
drive mills constructed along the Mill River. The bridge presently
provides local residents with access across the Mill River.
History of Project -
In 1976 the City of Northampton commissioned an in -depth bridge
inspection and rating study; the report concluded that the bridge was in
fair condition but that "traffic should be restricted to passenger cars
and only one vehicle on the bridge at a time." The posted limit was
reduced from 5 to 3 Tons. The bridge was again inspected in 1981 and in
1984 by MDPW. Both inspection reports set the deck, superstructure and
substructure in generally poor condition, with repair or rehabilitation
required immediately. Keyes Associates was commissioned by the City of
Northampton in 1984 to inspect, analyze the existing structure, and to
develop rehabilitation plans. Keyes Associates inspected and evaluated
the truss to determine it's structural integrity finding the truss to be
in generally fair condition.
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Keyes Associates
The analysis established that the truss was structurally incapable of
handling loads above 10 tons, due in part to the original design of the
truss rather than extensive structural deterioration of truss members.
It was decided that due to the above restriction, the bridge should be
limited to passenger traffic. Primary need of rehabilitation would
therefore be focused on the highly deteriorated flooring system and
truss to floor beam hanger system. The following is a summary of major
repairs performed.
- Remove and replace deteriorated sections of corrugated steel
bridge plank.
- Remove and replace deteriorated steel stringers.
- Reconstruct existing truss to floor beam connections.
- Repair or replace stringer bearings.
- Clean and paint entire structure.
- Minor approach roadway reconstruction.
We feel this project is worthy of the Governor's award based on two
counts: 1. The bridge provides fast and convenient access for the local
residents in the area. The repair /rehabilitation insured that the
residents would have safe access across the Mill River. 2. The Hotel
Bridge has significant historical value to the City of Northampton and
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To the best of our knowledge this
truss is one of the oldest or may in fact be the oldest wrought iron
truss roadway bridge in continued service in the Commonwealth. By
rehabilitating the Hotel Bridge we have preserved the historical value
of this Pratt truss.
NORTHAMPTON DAILY RAMPSFMZE GAZETTE A3
By RYAN DAVIS
Staff Writer
NORTHAMPTON — The end of an era
came quietly Friday in Leeds as the
nearly 130 - year -old Hotel Bridge con-
necting Water and Main streets was
closed to motor vehicle traffic indefi-
nitely.
According to Ned Huntley, assistant
city engineer, the wrought -iron truss
bridge has suffered severe deteriora-
tion in recent years and was determined
to be unsafe for vehicle traffic this
week.
Both sides of the bridge were barri-
caded Friday morning, but it will remain
open to pedestrian traffic.
Water Street residents who usually
cross the bridge will now need to go
up to Reservoir Road and cross the
Mulberry Bridge to get to Main
Street.
Huntley said there are no plans to
"We just don't have the money to fix it. That's why it's closed until
further notice,"
reopen the Hotel Bridge, built in 1876
and believed to be the oldest bridge in
the city, any time soon due to financial
constraints in the Department of Public
Works.
"We just don't have the money to fix
it," he said. "That's why it's closed until
further notice."
Huntley blamed the damage on
vehicles such as oil trucks that use the
bridge even though they exceed its
weight limit of three tons. When workers
from the DPW and MassHighway
inspected the bridge, they found large
holes and together decided it should be
closed.
"It's breaking apart," Huntley said.
Ned Huntky, assistant city engineer
"You can actually see the river through
the holes in the bridge."
Ward 7 City Councilor Raymond
LaBarge, who has lived on Water Street
near the bridge for decades, also
reported the holes to the DPW. He
praised the decision to keep the bridge
open to foot traffic.
A lot of people on the street are very
glad that it's being done that way," he
said. "It's a historical bridge and they
want to preserve it as much as they
can."
The Hotel Bridge was closed for two
days in 2002 after routine repairs
revealed damage that needed to be cor-
rected. In 1985, the city spent about
;68,000 on repairs to the bridge.
When the bridge was closed in 2002,
DPW director George Andrikidis
described the 1985 repairs as "an effort
to keep it going as long as we could,
fully knowing there would come a time
when the bridge would not be appro-
priate for vehicular traffic."
As far back as 1999, highway officials
discussed the possibility of closing the
bridge to traffic to ward off deteriora-
tion, but decided to keep it open.
The Hotel Bridge played a major role
in Leeds when the village was a bustling
manufacturing center, but is now sec-
ondary to the Mulberry Bridge.
LaBarge, 82, said that the bridge got
its name from the former Leeds Hotel,
which was situated nearby.
"It was quite a thing when it was
there," he said of the hotel. "I was just
a kid when it burned down."
Ryan Davis can be reached at
rdavis@gazettenet.com
Bridge in Leeds closes indefinitely