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Hotel Bridge walkway and bridge needsa yf i r' `• j4 I WE %HT 6 LIMIT 3 TONS ti F y '� t AN 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. EM r y i JL y�,,r �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 LIMIT vi 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. i 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