Rating:
3 votes

Vilas Bridge

Windham County, Vermont, and Cheshire County, New Hampshire

Photos 

Vilas Bridge

Photo taken by Michael Quiet

Enlarge

BH Photo #307308

Map 

Street Views 

Facts 

Overview
Open-Spandrel concrete arch bridge over Connecticut River on Bridge Street
Location
Walpole, Windham County, Vermont, and Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Status
Intact but closed to all traffic
History
Built 1931 by Robie Construction Co; rehabilitated 1974; Closed 2009
Builders
- New Hampshire Highway Department (Design)
- Robie Construction Co. of Manchester, New Hampshire (Fabrication)
Design
2 span Open-Spandrel Arch
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 107.0 ft.
Total length: 230.0 ft.
Deck width: 24.0 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called
Interstate Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+43.13528, -72.44000   (decimal degrees)
43°08'07" N, 72°26'24" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/708207/4779018 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Bellows Falls
Average daily traffic (as of 2017)
6,100
Inventory number
BH 24829 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of November 2018)
Overall condition: Poor
Superstructure condition rating: Imminent Failure (1 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Imminent Failure (1 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Imminent Failure (1 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 20 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

Arch (12,881)
Balustrade railing (80)
Bellows Falls, Vermont (16)
Built 1931 (988)
Built during 1930s (12,329)
Cheshire County, New Hampshire (81)
Closed (2,796)
Concrete balustrade (899)
Connecticut River (118)
Continuous (2,692)
Deck arch (12,097)
Have street view (30,435)
 NR-eligible (4,127)
New Hampshire (783)
New Hampshire Highway Department (1)
Open-spandrel arch (827)
Owned by state (16,770)
Robie Construction Co. (1)
Span length 100-125 feet (4,682)
State line crossing (967)
Total length 175-250 feet (4,697)
Vermont (760)
Walpole, New Hampshire (6)
Windham County, Vermont (118)

Update Log 

  • September 14, 2019: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
  • March 29, 2018: New photos from Richard Doody
  • February 17, 2017: New Street View added by Dana and Kay Klein
  • February 9, 2017: Updated by Michael Quiet: Added builders
  • November 3, 2014: Updated by Michael Quiet: Noted that this bridge is an open-spandrel design, that its currentley closed, and added pictures
  • November 8, 2013: Updated by Luke Harden: Name correction

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • Luke
  • Michael Quiet - mquiet [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Dana and Kay Klein
  • Richard Doody
  • Geoff Hubbs
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Comments 

Vilas Bridge
Posted April 13, 2022, by Chester Gehman (gehmanc2000 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

There are petroglyphs visible on the rocks below the bridge. Look from the Bellows Falls end and downstream just below the bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellows_Falls_Petroglyph_Site

Vilas Bridge
Posted May 27, 2020, by Clark Vance (cvance [at] dogmail [dot] com)

FWIW the verse on the plaque is from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_Builder

Vilas Bridge
Posted August 18, 2016, by Michael Quiet (MQuiet [at] Gmail [dot] com)

7 years on and this exceptional example of an Open-Spandrel concrete arch bridge is still closed awaiting a rehabilitation. It looks like it might take action form the courts to determine who actually owns this bridge (and thus who is on the line for repairs):

http://www.eagletimes.com/news/2016-06-02/Front_Page/Federal...

In the plus column, the article talks positively about the historic value of this bridge and the need for a rehab. Lets hope preservation wins out...

Vilas Bridge
Posted January 11, 2014, by Will Truax (Bridgewright [at] aol [dot] com)

VPR podcast on recent efforts to move up the rehab.

http://digital.vpr.net/post/nh-rejects-vt-s-offer-repair-vil...

Vilas Bridge
Posted November 9, 2013, by Mike Mulligan (steamshovel2002 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Come on, don't get me going again!

Villas Bridge
Posted November 8, 2013, by Will Truax (Bridgewright [at] gmail [dot] com)

Mary, I believe you are referring to the Vilas

Pics here - http://preservationinpink.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/vilas-bri...

It's in a beautiful and storied spot, the site of Col. Hale's 1796 span. Background here - http://bridgewright.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/high-water/ - http://bridgewright.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/a-chasm-vast-an...

I'm going to edit this page - The spelling of the name needs correction, and the county needs changing, all bridges over the Connecticut belong to and are the financial responsibility of NH, so if it were to be listed in but one county that would better be Cheshire.

VALE BRIDGE WALPOLE NH
Posted November 8, 2013, by MARY C. HOLMES (mholmes [at] dot [dot] state [dot] nh [dot] us)

JUST BELOW THE BRIDGE STREET BRIDGE IS ANOTHER HISTORIC BRIDGE CALLED THE [VALE BRIDGE] BUILT IN 1930'S. IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST ARCHED BRIDGES MADE ALL OF CONCRETE. THE BRIDGE IS CLOSED AT THIS TIME AND PLANS ARE TO FIX THE PROBLEMS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS BRIDGE CROSSES A LARGE CHASAM FOR OVER FLOW OF THE CONNETICUTT RIVER. RUNS PARRELL WITH RAIL ROAD BRIDGE AND SITS JUST SOUTH OF IT. I WISH I HAD PICTURES OF IT. BUT I DO NOT AT THIS TIME.

YOU CAN GO TO GOOGLE EARTH AND SEE IT. IT IS BEAUTIFUL.

Bridge Street Bridge
Posted September 14, 2009, by Deborah Wright (safetyguaranteed [at] hotmail [dot] com)

this bridge has been closed for months-no through traffic