Bardwell’s Ferry Bridge - Conway, MA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Bardwell’s Ferry Bridge is a lenticular-truss metal bridge constructed in 1882, that spans the Deerfield River on Bardwell’s Ferry Road, linking Conway and Shelburne, MA.

The Bardwell’s Ferry Bridge has a 198-foot span with a wooden plank roadbed 40' above the Deerfield River. The span is supported by lenticular, lens shaped, trusses on the sides of the deck. The bridge was fabricated in iron in 1882 by Corrugated Metal Company which changed its name the following year to the Berlin Iron Bridge Company.

The truss elements were assembled from iron plates that were riveted or bolted together to form three-dimensional girders. Narrow diagonal braces form a lattice pattern that produces a skeletal appearance, characteristic for this type of construction. The Bardwell’s Ferry Bridge has 12 posts within each truss, creating panels 15 feet 2 ½ inches wide. The bridge’s deck is supported by iron floor beams suspended on hangers. The wood plank roadway is nailed to wood stringers than span the space between the iron floor beams. The entire truss system is supported by iron archways fabricated of box girder and lattice beam elements that are mounted on stone abutments.

Bardwell’s Ferry Bridge is the longest remaining lenticular truss span and the oldest surviving example of this type of bridge in Massachusetts. It has been recognized by the Boston Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers as a Massachusetts Engineering Landmark.

A plaque on the archway on the Conway side is inscribed:

MASSACHUSETTS HISTORIC
ENGINEERING LANDMARK

AMERICAN
SOCIETY OF
CIVIL
ENGINEERS
FOUNDED
1852

BARDSWELLS FERRY BRIDGE
CONSTRUCTED IN 1882

DESIGNATED BY THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF
CIVIL ENGINEERS SECTION, ASCE

Bridge Technical Facts:
Rehabilitation Date - 1995
Main Span Length - 198 feet
Structure Length - 230 feet
Roadway Width - 14 feet

Street address: Bardwell’s Ferry Road Conway, MA United States 01341 County / Borough / Parish: Franklin Year listed: 2000 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899 Historic function: Transportation Current function: Transportation Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/17/2014 nomadwillie visited it