My Old Bridge And a New Vision of Island Park

There is the outline of the old Island Park before the 1920s and 1930s floods. The Vernon Dam caused this. I'd like a elevated nature trail or bike trail between the railroad tracks and the Connecticut River red lined on the Brattleboro side. 

Hinsdale, N.H., bridge to be started two years ahead of schedule

Hinsdale to Brattleboro bridge project two years early?

By Robert Audetteraudette@reformer.com @audette.reformer on Twitter

Posted:   02/01/2016 10:22:09 AM EST0 Comments

Updated:   02/02/2016 07:33:37 AM EST

This aerial picture shows the Anna Hunt Marsh Bridge, which, with the Charles Dana Bridge, connects Hinsdale, N.H., to Brattleboro, Vt. (Kristopher Radder — Reformer Staff)

 

HINSDALE, N.H.— The historic Vilas Bridge linking Walpole to Bellows Falls is crumbling into the Connecticut River, closed in 2009 with no real plan to replace it.

Meanwhile, traffic across the Anna Hunt Marsh and Charles Dana bridges, which link Hinsdale to Brattleboro, Vt., continues unabated.

The bridge in Walpole is not on New Hampshire's 10-year plan because a perfectly suitable bridge crosses the river just a few miles north, reasons the Granite State's Department of Transportation. But the bridge in Hinsdale is one of the busiest in the region. It's also one of the most narrow — just one semi-truck short of a snarl that could lock up traffic for hours. In the state's 10-year plan, construction to replace those bridges is scheduled to start two years earlier — 2017 — than in the previous 10-year plan, which is updated every two years.

"The 10-year plan is never written in stone," said Bill Boynton, spokesman for the N.H.

What he is talking about is dirty politics independant of facts and transparency. Ask Mr. Boynton if the NHDOT has been starve by funding problems for decades in crazy NH. 

DOT. "It is based upon available resources. Projects move up in the line or are removed if they are not necessary."

While the Vilas Bridge is not in the newest plan, he said, it doesn't mean the state has abandoned the idea of replacing it.

"We don't want to minimize the concerns that have been expressed by the community. We understand the bridge is very important to them, but the fact is there is another bridge in close proximity and that changes the nature of prioritization."

The Hinsdale-to-Brattleboro bridges however, serve a unique purpose that can't be substituted by other river crossings. It's either drive north to Chesterfield and cross the

I love that bridge...those curved huge and massively thick beams on top of the new bridge. Couldn't win any war without the US Navy Seabees. The uniqueness and the fragility of the two communities has been with us for many decades with the bridge. Why does all of a sudden the NHDOT yank out the uniqueness card? Why hasn't the NHDOT been advocating our uniqueness for decades. Replacing bridges has always been about vote getting in the eastern high population areas. I wouldn't be surprised if senator Shaheen is behind the lone?    

United States Navy Seabees Bridge at the Exit 3 roundabout, or travel south to Northfield, Mass., cross the river there and then travel north to Brattleboro on Route 142 or Interstate 91.

Even though that bridge project has been moved up to 2017, said Boynton, there are still some details to be ironed out. The Anna Hunt Marsh and Charles Dana bridges may

The island between the bridges is named Island Park I believe. I know people all over the states of NH and Vt...indeed all through the region and visitors from other countries. They love walking across my bridges. Why deny them this pleasure. We should refurbish the whole island. Knock down all those ugly scrub trees. Clean out all the garbage and brush.  Bring in a little filler dirt. Turn this Island into into a beautiful green lawned park right up to the water line. God it would be so beautiful and functional. It would be a lot safer for everyone if all the areas of the park could be easily seen by road. It would be a perfect fishing area. Put in picnic tables and park grills. Brattleboro is starved for downtown parking spaces. Put in parking spaces. With Wantastiquet Mountain and the stunning Connecticut River in the background, it would be spectacular meeting space. Wouldn't your kids love it: everyone's kids. It would take your breath away forever and honour our ancient forefathers who built the Park at the turn of the 20th century. Can't you just hear the faint train whistle from the distance approaching our locale. They made us who we are. It would broadly add to the health of our community with be a pretty walking and exercise area. It would get rid of the dangerous homeless and druggy problem on the island. It would add much value to our states of NH and Vermont. Added value to Brattleboro and Hinsdale. 

My god man, park on the New Island Park and walk up to the top of Wantastiquet Mountain? Would people spend more money in Brattleboro and Hinsdale? Could you advertise it as tourist attraction jewel. Eating at a restaurant in Brattleboro and then taking a spectacular walk to Island park. You are going to need some benches to sit on and appreciate our beauty? I believe this Island is owned by the Vernon Dam people Transcanada.
 
Design the Island to be easily repairable after our big floods. Do you believe in the power of mankind to make a better earth?        

remain for pedestrians or they may be demolished altogether. And then there is a question about the landing of the new bridge in Vermont. The plan calls for it to be built at the flashing traffic light at George's Field on the New Hampshire side, connecting to Route 142 just south of the Marlboro College Graduate Center. Boynton said issues with the railroad and propane tanks have to be dealt with before the plans can be finalized.

In Bellows Falls, an offer was made two years ago by Vermont to finance the bridge's rehabilitation, as long as the state of New Hampshire would agree to pay for repairs to all other bridges spanning the Connecticut River, up to the total cost to rebuild the Vilas Bridge. The Granite State declined the offer.

The bridge project in Hinsdale is expected to cost more than $40 million and would be financed with Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle — or GARVEE — bonds issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to the DOT's website, a GARVEE "is a type of anticipation vehicle, which are securities (debt instruments) issued when moneys

I'd like to know a little more about the federal aid grants.

are anticipated from a specific source to advance the upfront funding of a particular need. In the case of transportation finance the anticipation vehicles' revenue source is expected Federal-aid grants."

Despite the assurances from New Hampshire, Chip Stearns, the municipal manager for Rockingham, doesn't believe the bridge will ever be fixed or replaced.

"It's got to be important to New Hampshire before they fix it, but like everybody else, they are so far behind in infrastructure repairs," he said. "Someone over in Concord is not going to be concerned about Bellows Falls while just north of the Vilas Bridge is a new bridge that can be used to cross the Connecticut River."

However, said Stearns, what is being missed — or ignored — by the Granite State, is a sewer line attached to the bridge that delivers septage from Walpole to the waste water treatment plant in Bellows Falls. "It belongs to the town of Walpole and the state needs to have an emergency plan in case the bridge collapses and the pipe spews sewage into the Connecticut River. Someone ought to be concerned."

Bob Audette can be contacted at 802-254-2311, ext. 160.