The Coolidge Bridge Reconstruction Project consists of a
number of improvements to improve the capacity and safety of
the bridge, while maintaining and enhancing its historic
character. The project is anticipated to take approximately
two years, beginning July 30, 2001 and ending August 30, 2003.
Update: Work began in the Summer of 2001 and is on schedule
to be complete by August 30, 2003.
Planned improvements include:
Widening the Bridge from 3 lanes to 4 lanes, i.e., 2
travel lanes in each direction;
Replacement of the deteriorated bridge deck;
Refurbishing the historic Art Deco bridge railing and
integrated light fixtures;
Cleaning and restoration of all granite facing;
Installation of a new 5-foot sidewalk on the north side of
the Bridge; and
Repairing and improving the Bridge approach roadways.
|
|
Full reconstruction begins at the intersection of Route 9 and
Damon Road in Northampton and extends eastward approximately
2,940 feet across the Connecticut River, ending just east of
the Route 9/Aqua Vitae Road intersection in Hadley.
Structural Improvements: Support for the widened
roadway will come from the existing floor beams which will be
lengthened by five feet on each side of the bridge to support
additional stringers added along the exterior of the bridge on
both sides. The existing T-beam superstructure on the Hadley
and Northampton approach spans will be completely replaced
with a pre-stressed concrete box beam superstructure. On the
steel deck truss main spans the existing floor beams will be
extended and new steel stringers will be added to the existing
steel stringers. The existing concrete deck on the main spans
will be replaced by a 5 inch steel grid deck, half filled with
concrete.
Approach Roadway Improvements: On the Northampton
approach, the existing roadway will be widened by about 14
feet to match the proposed widening of the bridge as far as
the intersection of Route 9/Damon Road. A 5-foot concrete
sidewalk will be constructed along the north side of the road
and the existing traffic island will be realigned to match the
shifting lanes on the bridge.
On
the Hadley approach, four 12-foot wide lanes and a 5-foot
sidewalk will be constructed, as well as a 12-foot wide
turning lane for westbound traffic turning into Aqua Vitae
Road.
Roadway Widening: A fourth travel lane will be added to
the Bridge in the Westbound direction to increase the traffic
capacity of the Bridge. To accomplish the 12 foot roadway
widening on the bridge, MassHighway proposes to narrow each of
the massive Art Deco abutment pylons by approximately 6 feet.
The narrower cavity within the reconstructed pylons will then
be filled with an inert material to ensure the pylons'
structural integrity.
Pylon Modification and Rehabilitation: In consultation
with the Northampton and Hadley Historical Commissions and
with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, MassHighway has
developed a plan to modify the Bridge's large granite pylons
to accommodate the additional traffic lane.
The portion of each pylon that faces the roadway will be
dismantled while the granite facing, bronze plaques, door
assemblies, lanterns and carved stone panels will be removed,
cleaned, restored as needed and reinstalled on the rebuilt
pylon. When the rebuilding process is complete, each pylon
will be narrower, but it is intended that the long sides of
the pylons with their incised lettering and bronze doors and
lanterns or bronze plaques will look the same from the
sidewalk and roadway and have essentially the same dimensions
as they do now. On the narrowed ends of the pylons the granite
facing will be modified to accommodate the narrower width. In
order to maintain the existing spread of the wings of the
carved corner eagles on the narrowed pylon ends, as requested
by the three historical commissions, an 18-inch granite-faced,
concrete addition will be anchored to the back of each pylon,
faced with stepped granite coursing so that it blends as much
as possible with the existing granite detail. New granite
facing, where it is needed to augment the salvaged facing,
will match the existing.
In
addition, all original granite facing will be cleaned and
restored. Plans and special provisions for the proposed
rehabilitation project call for all stonework to be done by
skilled stone carving artisans experienced in masonry
restoration.
Railings: The existing 3-foot 6-inch high, welded steel
Art Deco bridge railing and its integral light standard posts
will be removed, cleaned and rehabilitated. The will be
repainted to match the existing green color of the railing,
and. If needed, any deteriorated portions of the railing will
be re-fabricated to match the existing railings. Because the
existing decorative railing is not crash-tested to AASHTO
standards, a Type BR2 metal crash rail must be placed at curb
for the length of the bridge. The crash rail is 12 inches high
set on a 15-inch high concrete base.
The existing granite-faced, paneled approach railings must be
replaced as a result of the roadway widening and
reconstruction of the pylons. The new concrete approach
railings will be faced with new granite facing of a size and
color to match, as closely as possible, the existing.
Light Fixtures: The original Art Deco light standard
posts on the Calvin Coolidge Bridge were integral to the
design of the bridge railing. The existing cobra head
standards will be removed and replaced with new decorative,
"tear drop" style luminaries.
Historical Marker: A Massachusetts Bay Colony
Tercentenary Commission historical marker, which stands on the
north side of the Hadley bridge approach will be removed,
wrapped in a moisture-permeable material to deter rust, and
carefully stored in the MassHighway District 2 office in
Northampton during construction. At the completion of
construction, the marker will be reset at a location to be
agreed upon by the Hadley Historical Commission.
The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Bridge (1937) is a five-span,
single intersection Warren deck truss bridge with distinctive
Art Deco design on its granite-faced abutment pylons. Art Deco
ornamentation on the pylons includes carved eagles and incised
carved lettering. The Bridge was funded under the Hayden
Cartwright Act
,
one of the numerous Federal aid programs designed to provide
construction jobs during the Depression. It was designed by W
& L Engineering Co., Engineers in conjunction with Maurice A.
Reidy as Consultant and Desmond and Lord as Architects. The
Bridge was built by T. Stuart & Sons.
The bridge was designed as memorial to President Calvin
Coolidge (1872-1933), a long time resident and former mayor of
Northampton. Coolidge was elected to the State Senate and the
governorship of Massachusetts before being elected President
of the United States. A bronze memorial plaque of Calvin
Coolidge is mounted on the northeast and southwest pylons.
The bridge features large, distinctive granite-faced pylons in
the Art Deco style, measuring 15 by 27 feet at the base. On
the northwest and southeast pylons are bronze doors that
provide access to a small room reportedly used as posts for
air raid wardens during World War II.
The 3-foot, 6-inch high welded steel Art Deco bridge rail is
mounted at back of sidewalk on the north side of the bridge
and on the bridge parapet on the south side where there is no
sidewalk. It is a weathered green color. Integral to the rail
are light standard posts supporting cobra head luminares. The
cobra head luminares replaced the original low-pressure sodium
lamp fixtures developed by General Electric. These lamps were
based on a European model and introduced to the U.S. market in
1933. However, the yellow/orange, monochromatic light produced
by the luminaire ultimately became unpopular with the motoring
public and use of the lamps was discontinued as
color-corrected light sources became available.
In
1987, the Massachusetts Historical Commission determined that
the Calvin Coolidge Bridge was not eligible for individual
listing in the National Register of Historic Places but was
eligible for listing as a contributing element in the (then)
pending expansion of the Hadley Center Historic District. In
1994, the Bridge was included as a contributing element to the
Hadley Center Historic District.
