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The Charles N. Vilas Bridge is a two-span concrete deck
The Vilas Bridge was built in 1930, rehabilitated in 1974, and closed on March 19, 2009. It is a two-span, concrete 
The bridge was named in honor of Charles Nathaniel Vilas of
The condition of this bridge has been a concern of the community for some time because it has been crumbling. New Hampshire delayed repairs due to financial restrictions on the
{{jct, state=NH, NH, 123 Bridges over the Connecticut River Buildings and structures in Bellows Falls, Vermont Walpole, New Hampshire Bridges completed in 1930 Bridges in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Bridges in Windham County, Vermont Road bridges in New Hampshire Road bridges in Vermont Concrete bridges in the United States Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Lattice truss bridges in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
over the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls, Vermont
Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...
and North Walpole, New Hampshire. It was built in 1930 and has been closed since March 19, 2009.
History
ColonelEnoch Hale
Colonel Enoch Hale (1733–1813) was born in Rowley, Province of Massachusetts Bay, on November 28, 1733. He and his brother Nathan (who was not the like-named Nathan Hale, famous spy of the American Revolution) lived as children in Hampstead, ...
built a wooden covered toll bridge on this site in 1784, the first bridge over the Connecticut River.Hard, pp. 143-144 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¢. Captain Isaac Damon
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...
Allen, p.66 replaced it with the lattice truss
A lattice bridge is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice. The lattice Truss Bridge was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town.
Originally a design to allow a substantial bridge to be ma ...
Tucker Toll Bridge in 1840. He built lattice truss covered bridges all over New England and New York, including 11 over the Connecticut River.
The Vilas Bridge was built in 1930, rehabilitated in 1974, and closed on March 19, 2009. It is a two-span, concrete arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
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 bridge was named in honor of Charles Nathaniel Vilas of Alstead, New Hampshire
Alstead () is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,864 at the 2020 census. Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest.
History
The town was chartered by Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher in 1735 as one ...
, who donated funds for its construction. 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.
Rehabilitation effort
The condition of this bridge has been a concern of the community for some time because it has been crumbling. New Hampshire delayed repairs due to financial restrictions on the New Hampshire Department of Transportation
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) is a government agency of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Commissioner of NHDOT is Victoria Sheehan. The main office of the NHDOT is located in the J. O. Morton Building in Concord.
F ...
(NHDoT). 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.
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. New Hampshire rejected Vermont's offer.
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. Further action will mean putting the Vilas Bridge back on New Hampshire's 10-year plan, which requires New Hampshire legislative action.
In 2021, Rockingham, Vermont
Rockingham is a Town in Windham County, on the southeastern Vermont border in the United States, along the Connecticut River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,832. Rockingham includes the incorporated villages of Bellows Falls and Sa ...
, 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.
See also
*List of crossings of the Connecticut River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Connecticut River from its mouth at Long Island Sound upstream to its source at the Connecticut Lakes. The list includes current road and rail crossings, as well as ferries carrying a state hig ...
References
Bibliography
* * {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place = Connecticut River , bridge = Vilas Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Stone Arch Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Route 123 bridge , downstream signs = {{jct, state=VT, VT, 123{{jct, state=NH, NH, 123 Bridges over the Connecticut River Buildings and structures in Bellows Falls, Vermont Walpole, New Hampshire Bridges completed in 1930 Bridges in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Bridges in Windham County, Vermont Road bridges in New Hampshire Road bridges in Vermont Concrete bridges in the United States Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Lattice truss bridges in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States