The Red Bridge is a historic bridge spanning the
Quinnipiac River
The Quinnipiac River ( ) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 long river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of ...
near Oregon Road in
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden ( ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...
. It was built in 1891 by the
Berlin Iron Bridge Company
The Berlin Iron Bridge Company was a Berlin, Connecticut, Berlin, Connecticut company that built Bridge, iron bridges and buildings that were supported by iron. It is credited as the architect of numerous bridges and buildings now listed on the U ...
, and is one of a small number of surviving
lenticular truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembla ...
bridges in the state, and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1993.
The bridge is open to pedestrian traffic only.
Description and history
The Red Bridge is located in south Meriden, crossing the Quinnipiac River just upriver from the bridge that now carries Oregon Road. It is a single-span wrought iron lenticular pony truss structure, measuring long with a roadway width of , resting on brownstone abutments. Its bridge deck is wooden, of recent construction.
[ With ]
The bridge was built in 1891 for the city by the
Berlin Iron Bridge Company
The Berlin Iron Bridge Company was a Berlin, Connecticut, Berlin, Connecticut company that built Bridge, iron bridges and buildings that were supported by iron. It is credited as the architect of numerous bridges and buildings now listed on the U ...
, the largest fabricator of metal bridges in New England at the time. It replaced a wooden truss bridge that already bore the name "Red Bridge", which carried Oregon Road, then a major route between Meriden and
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
. The bridge is one of a small number (less than twenty) of lenticular truss bridges built by the company in its home state to survive, out of more than 100 built. The bridge was bypassed for vehicular use in the 1970s,
[ and underwent a major restoration in 2018, after which it was reopened to foot traffic.
]
See also
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References
External links
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{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
Bridges completed in 1891
Meriden, Connecticut
Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut