Sheffield Street over Hancock Brook
The Sheffield Street Bridge, in the Waterville section of Waterbury, is a four-panel lenticular truss bridge crossing Hancock Brook, which runs in a deep ravine some 20 feet below. The trusses are built a little heavier than most of the Berlin Iron Bridge Company's bridges of similar length, with a top chord that is 6" by 12" in section, pinned end-post connections, and longitudinal stiffeners that run the entire length of the bridge below the level of the roadway. It has a roadway width of 18 feet. Currently out of service, the bridge's wooden deck is broken through in many places, and concrete traffic barriers have been placed across the west end.
At the time the bridge was built, Waterville had several large industrial enterprises, including cutlery and brass-pin factories. Sheffield Street was at one time a major route from Waterville to points east. As explained in the company's 1889 catalog, which contained an engraving of the bridge, the Sheffield Street span was designed with the needs of manufacturers in mind, and so was made to accommodate heavy loads and two lanes of traffic. The bridge was one of three Berlin bridges bought by the Town of Waterbury in the 1884-1885 fiscal year.
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