Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge

Summary

The Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge is a historic bridge in Bloomfield, Vermont. It carries Vermont Route 102 over the Nulhegan River, near its mouth at the Connecticut River just south of Bloomfield Village. Built in 1937, it is a well-preserved example of a Pratt through truss, exhibiting then state-of-the-art engineering. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[1]

Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge
Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge is located in Vermont
Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge
Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge is located in the United States
Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge
LocationVT 102 over the Nulhegan R., Bloomfield, Vermont
Coordinates44°45′5″N 71°38′1″W / 44.75139°N 71.63361°W / 44.75139; -71.63361
Arealess than one acre
Built1937 (1937)
Architectural stylePratt through truss
MPSMetal Truss, Masonry, and Concrete Bridges in Vermont MPS
NRHP reference No.91001605[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 14, 1991

Description and history edit

Vermont Route 102 crosses the Nulhegan River just south of the village center and west of the Connecticut River. The bridge carrying the highway is a six-panel single-span steel Pratt through truss bridge, resting on concrete abutments. Its length is 134 feet (41 m) and its width is 24 feet (7.3 m), with a portal clearance height of 15 feet (4.6 m). It stands about 10 feet (3.0 m) above the river and carries two lanes of traffic. The trusses are formed out of rolled I-beams that were assembled on site using hydraulic riveting, a technology introduced in the 1920s. The decking consists of pavement laid on concrete over I-beams that are mounted on the truss bottom chords and riveted to their vertical elements.[2]

The bridge was built in 1937, and was built using standards and technologies introduced by the state during a bridge-building program introduced after a major flooding event in the state in 1927. It is a well-preserved example of a Pratt truss of the period, and the riveting technology enabled the bridge to be fabricated on site, rather than shipping the trusses from a factory.[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-12-01.