By 1812Blockhouse
Last September, we stopped by North Lake Park in Mansfield to catch a glimpse of work underway on replacement of the historic stone bridge there.
As we shared then, Mansfield City Council approved the replacement in February, which is using a $500,000 OPWC grant to fund a sizable portion of the $707,000 cost.
Built in 1898 and having survived two world wars and service to generations of Mansfielders, the original double arched deck bridge was 44 feet long and 19 feet in width. The arches have been failing in recent years, and the span has been rated as deficient by state officials. It is estimated that 300 cars on average cross the bridge each day.
On Saturday, March 13, we made a return visit to see what progress has been made. Not only is the span largely completed, with some cosmetic touches left to finish, the bridge is actually open again to vehicular traffic.
Below are two photos we took in September, and then two we took on Saturday. Click on any photo for a larger image.