In mid June of 1800, Westfield began plans to rebuild the Great River Bridge. This was one of many repairs Westfield citizens had to pay for each year. The bridge had been around for much longer with roots dating back to the mid 1700s. At a meeting held on February 5th, 1753, the town appropriated just over £66 to build a bridge over the river. Crude in design, the uncovered bridge was swept away by harsh weather at least once per year. Flooding was the source of frequent damage because the bridge was built below the dam.
In the town’s history, there have been twenty-three major floods on the Westfield River. The first recorded was in March of 1776.
The town continued providing funds to rebuild the bridge until 1840. At this time, there were many disagreements over building a new bridge. Opponents to the construction argued the expense of moving the bridge above the dam would be too great due to the required amount of land excavation. Citizens in favor of a new bridge researched old town records and discovered that more was spent on repairs each year than what would be spent on a sturdier, lasting bridge.
The vote came soon after, and a covered bridge was built above the dam. It held up against a terrible flood in the late 1870s and would last until about 1880 when an iron bridge was built in its place. The cost for this was just under $45,000 and included superior iron work, masonry, and a temporary bridge. It was estimated to weigh around 400 tons.
In 1939, the bridge seemed to withstand another great flood. The March 30th issue of the Westfield Valley Herald reported, “The old Great River bridge, which has been so long and so much abused and traduced on account of its antiquity and general debility, has outrode the storm, and stands a spared monument of the greatest and most devastating flood known in the annals of the town. The water…cut a channel on the south side of the bridge, and is now flowing over its new-made bed with the naturalness and ease of age and maturity.”
Despite the town’s optimism of the bridge’s strength, it was discovered that minor repairs were not enough to salvage it. Plans for a new, sturdier bridge began after the flood, and it was able to be replaced in the same year.
The two bridges Westfield knows today had been planned for since the 1980s. A 1987 issue of the Westfield Union-News reported that The Massachusetts Department of Public Works approved the city’s proposal for building the second bridge. Their main goal was to reduce the amount of traffic jams caused by the high number of Pike travelers. Actual work on this project did not begin until 2007 when the first trees and buildings were removed.
The dedication for the project’s completion will be held on Friday, June 29th. A Hot Dog Special will be held from 12:00-1:00 PM, and Governor Patrick is scheduled to arrive for the ribbon cutting at approximately 2:00 PM.
WESTFIELD NEWS (Continued)
June 15th, 1825: Westfield voted $600 to survey the Canal from Northampton to Southwick.
June 16th, 1863: The First National Bank opened. Organized as a State Bank in 1851, it became the oldest National Bank in Massachusetts.
