Vilas Bridge

The Charles N. Vilas Bridge is a 635-foot (194 m)[1] two-span concrete deck arch bridge over the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls, Vermont and North Walpole, New Hampshire. It was built in 1930 and has been closed since March 19, 2009.[1]

Vilas Bridge
Vilas Bridge in 2008
Vilas Bridge in 2008
Coordinates43°08′07″N 72°26′25″W
CrossesConnecticut River
Localebetween Bellows Falls, Vermont and North Walpole, New Hampshire
Official nameCharles N. Vilas Bridge
Characteristics
Designopen-spandrel deck arch bridge
MaterialConcrete
Total length635 feet (194 m)[1]
Width24 feet (7.3 m)[2]
No. of spans2
Piers in water1
History
Construction end1930
ClosedMarch 2009[1]
Location

History

Colonel Enoch Hale built a wooden covered toll bridge on this site in 1784, the first bridge over the Connecticut River.[3] The toll was 3¢ for a man on horseback, double if he were in a chaise. If he were in a two-horse chaise, the toll was 20¢.[3] Captain Isaac Damon[4] replaced it with the lattice truss Tucker Toll Bridge in 1840.[5] He built lattice truss covered bridges all over New England and New York, including 11 over the Connecticut River.[4]

Vilas Bridge dedication plaque

The Vilas Bridge was built in 1930, rehabilitated in 1974, and closed on March 19, 2009.[2] It is a two-span, concrete arch bridge with open spandrels and "turned" concrete bolsters holding up its railing. A plaque is mounted on the bridge containing a section of "The Bridge Builder" by Will Allen Dromgoole.

The final stanza of the poem "The Bridge Builder" by Will Allen Dromgoole as engraved on the Vilas Bridge

The bridge was named in honor of Charles Nathaniel Vilas of Alstead, New Hampshire, who donated funds for its construction.[6] Vilas was a philanthropist who had owned and managed a hotel on Fifth Avenue in New York City; he died in 1931 at the age of 78.[7]

Rehabilitation effort
Concrete railing of the Vilas Bridge in 2008.

The condition of this bridge has been a concern of the community for some time because it has been crumbling.[1] New Hampshire delayed repairs due to financial restrictions on the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDoT).[8] The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has made overtures to the NHDoT to get the bridge open sooner, as the NHDoT was in the middle of a financial crisis. VTrans' commissioner Brian Searles made the offer to Chris Clement at the NHDoT in December 2013 to front the repair money if NHDoT would fund Vermont's part of other repairs later.[1]

Opponents of repair state that there are other bridges nearby which serve this community, so the Vilas Bridge is not needed, while other bridges without any nearby alternatives are also in need of maintenance.[9] New Hampshire rejected Vermont's offer.[10]

New Hampshire bill HB 1205 was created in 2014 to split the estimated $5M repair cost evenly with Vermont, instead of the usual 7 percent from Vermont and 93 percent from New Hampshire by ownership percentage.[11][12] Further action will mean putting the Vilas Bridge back on New Hampshire's 10-year plan, which requires New Hampshire legislative action.[12]

In 2021, Rockingham, Vermont, researched whether federal funds were available to help pay for repairs. New Hampshire has about $10 million budgeted for repairs as part of their 10-year plan.[13]

See also

References
  1. Poli, Domenic (9 January 2014). "Vermont makes New Hampshire an offer regarding Vilas Bridge". Brattleboro Reformer. Denver, CO: Media News Group. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  2. "Vilas Bridge". BridgeHunter.com. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. Hard, pp. 143-144
  4. Allen, p.66
  5. "Covered Toll Bridge Over Connecticut River Looking into New Hampshire". Landscape Change Program. University of Vermont. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  6. "Residents worry about deteriorating Vilas Bridge". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. AP. November 16, 2004. p. B4. Retrieved November 27, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  7. "Charles N. Vilas Passes Away Suddenly at his Alstead Home". Springfield Reporter. Springfield, Vermont. September 11, 1931. p. 11. Retrieved November 27, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  8. Young, Meg (19 July 2012). "Bellows Falls Citizens Push for Bridge Repairs". VPR. Colchester, VT: Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  9. Snider, Betsy (21 January 2014). "My Turn: There's no good reason for New Hampshire to repair the Vilas Bridge". Concord Monitor. Concord, NH: Concord Monitor. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  10. Wertlieb, Mitch; Bodette, Melody (10 January 2014). "N.H. Rejects Vt.'s Offer To Repair Vilas Bridge". VPR. Colchester, VT: Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  11. Rep. Cloutier (25 November 2013). "HB 1205: AN ACT relative to reconstruction or rehabilitation of the Vilas Bridge between Walpole, New Hampshire and Bellows Falls, Vermont". The New Hampshire General Court. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  12. Teague, Allison (25 June 2014). "N.H. House tries again to make Vilas Bridge a priority". The Commons Online. Windham County, VT. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  13. "Officials Hope Federal Funds Will Pay For Repairs To Vermont-New Hampshire Bridge". 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2021-03-21.

Bibliography
  • Allen, Richard Sanders (2004). Covered Bridges of the Northeast (3rd ed.). Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-486-43662-4.
  • Hard, Walter (1998). The Connecticut. Lincoln, MA: Massachusetts Audubon Society. ISBN 0-932691-27-7.
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