The Wells River Bridge between

Wells River, Vermont Wells River is a village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 431 at the 2020 census. The village center is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 5 and 302. The village center (the portion near ...

and

Woodsville, New Hampshire Woodsville is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest village in the town of Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, along the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River. The population was 1,431 at the 2 ...

, is a steel double-decked

Baltimore truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or s ...

bridge over the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

. It was built in 1903 to carry rail and road traffic.

History

The first bridge at this crossing was built in 1805. In 1853, the Boston, Concord, & Montreal Railroad built a double-decked wooden Burr truss covered bridge over the Connecticut River on this alignment. The railroad collected tolls from users of the highway. The current Wells River Bridge was built in 1903 by the Boston & Maine Railroad, which took over the route, to carry rail and road traffic, to replace the previous bridge. In 1917, the road traffic was rerouted over a new bridge just downstream, called the Ranger Bridge. The railroad continued to use this bridge until no later than 2001, when it was used for vehicle traffic while the Ranger Bridge was being rehabilitated. As of 2007, this bridge is fenced off and unused.

References

Bridges over the Connecticut River Woodsville, New Hampshire Wells River, Vermont Bridges completed in 1903 Bridges in Grafton County, New Hampshire Bridges in Orange County, Vermont Road bridges in New Hampshire Road bridges in Vermont Steel bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Newbury, Vermont Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States 1903 establishments in Vermont 1903 establishments in New Hampshire Baltimore truss bridges {{Vermont-bridge-struct-stub

History

See also

References