BRATTLEBORO-An achievement that has been decades in the making is about to finally happen with the announcement that the new General John Stark Memorial Bridge linking Brattleboro and Hinsdale, New Hampshire, will be open to motor vehicle traffic by the end of the day Thursday, Dec. 5.
According to the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), a new traffic pattern is scheduled to be in place in Brattleboro on that date.
Barricades will be set up on Bridge Street to encourage local traffic only. Eastbound travelers to VT/NH 119 will need to turn onto Vermont Route 142 (Vernon Street) and access the new bridge at the new signalized intersection.
Westbound traffic on VT/NH 119 will need to turn onto VT 142 north to proceed to U.S. Route 5 (Canal Street).
VTrans says that pedestrian traffic should continue to use the existing Anna Hunt Marsh and Charles Dana steel truss bridges.
The new concrete bridge will remain closed to pedestrians until the spring of 2025 due to continued contractor operations within the work zone. Pedestrians and recreational users of the old bridges should still be aware of active construction in both New Hampshire and Vermont, VTrans warned.
Nearly 9,000 vehicles a day use the current 100-year-old bridges. Replacement of those spans has been in the works since the 1980s, but it took until this decade for construction to begin.
While the Stark Bridge will be open for motor vehicle traffic, VTrans says work will continue "on the bridge, under the bridge, on VT 142, and in New Hampshire on the old NH 119, Mountain Road, and the Marina access until everything is fully complete."
Shoulder and lane closures are projected to continue into the spring.
Opening ceremony Dec. 3
On the New Hampshire side, the town of Hinsdale is planning an opening ceremony for the new 1,800-foot bridge on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 12:30 p.m.
The new bridge cost approximately $62.5 million to build. Another $8 million will be spent on rehabilitating the two steel truss bridges - for years officially classified in poor condition by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation - solely for pedestrian use.
Four fifths of the cost is being covered by the federal government, with the remaining 20% split between Vermont and New Hampshire. Since New Hampshire owns the Connecticut River to the high water mark in Vermont, that state will be responsible for 85% of the non-federally funded portion.
This News item by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.