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Vale Reservation Footbridge

Essex County, Massachusetts

Photos 

Vale Reservation Footbridge

Elevation from southwest quadrant

Photo taken by Nick Boppel in March 2022

Enlarge

BH Photo #527074

Map 

Description 

This is likely a modern bridge built specifically for this trail but the Howe truss configuration is unusual. This bridge is also quite hidden and really can't be viewed from any public roadway; the only way I knew about its existence was from riding the nearby commuter train which runs on tracks immediately to the west of the reservation.

This bridge is one of two timber structures on this trail - located immediately south of this bridge is a unique floating boardwalk over an extensive area of wetlands.

The trail and its surroundings are maintained by a local group known as the Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS).

Facts 

Overview
Howe pony truss bridge over Shawsheen River on Vale Reservation Trail
Location
Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts
Status
Open to pedestrians
Design
Bolt-connected Timber Howe pony truss
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.63203, -71.15998   (decimal degrees)
42°37'55" N, 71°09'36" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
19/322893/4722215 (zone/easting/northing)
Inventory number
BH 97286 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Andover, Massachusetts (3)
Bolted (28)
Essex County, Massachusetts (137)
Footbridge (448)
Howe pony truss (93)
Howe truss (823)
Massachusetts (1,263)
Open to pedestrians (4,715)
Pony truss (17,633)
 Timber bridge (13)
Timber deck (18)
Timber truss (9)
Trail (16)
Truss (38,718)
Uncovered wooden truss (167)
Wooden (75)
Wooden deck (6,278)

Update Log 

  • March 23, 2022: New photos from Nick Boppel

Sources 

  • Nick Boppel - nickboppel01 [at] gmail [dot] com

Comments 

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