Brunswick Avenue over Moosup River
In February of 1886, torrential rains caused flooding in eastern Connecticut that washed out mill dams and carried off bridges, including nearly all of Plainfield's. The town was forced to borrow money to fund all the replacements, of which this bridge was one of the most important. Until the present Route 14 bypass was built, Brunswick Avenue was part of a major through route between Rhode Island and Connecticut. The bridge lacks the portal cresting, urn finials, and fancy railings found on many Berlin bridges, undoubtedly because of the town's need to economize in replacing so many bridges.
The bridge has received some modifications over the years, most notably the current portal struts, which were installed around 1920 to allow increased vertical clearance. The wood planking of the deck is now rotted
through in several places, and the bridge is closed to both motor-vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Of the hundreds of lenticular-truss bridges built by Berlin Iron Bridge Company in Connecticut, only three of these larger through trusses survive. (Current plans call for the similar River Street Bridge that stood just downstream to be re-erected for park use, bringing the total back to four).
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