New bridges on the trail in Northampton

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Here is a link to some photos of the installation of two bridges in Northampton, MA. We will put up another link for a new bridge in Hamden, CT when we get the latest video from there. These bridges are hugely important to the trail building efforts as they provide the most effective way to separate trail traffic from vehicular traffic on the streets they cross. Here in Plainville, our plans include a major bridge at the north end of the trail over Northwest Drive, an increasingly busier vehicular artery in town. Another bridge will be needed to cross the Pequabuck River about one half mile south of Northwest Drive, that is, unless the Pan Am/Southern Railway abandons the bridge they currently don't use over the River. Again, based on continued rail service on the north-south rail right-of-way, we have proposed another bridge over the "throat" of the rail yard at the east end that will carry trail traffic over the rails as well as provide a terrific vantage point for viewing existing train operations. Lots of work ahead for us, but, for now, we are encouraged by the progress shown here.

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