Do you know the similarity between the Titanic and the Charles Dana and Anna Hunt Marsh bridges? All the iron beams and plating are held together by 1920's rivets. There is not a weld in the structural parts of the bridge. The Titanic was constructed in 1909 and the two Bridges were constructed around 1921. I wonder how many other bridges are held together rivets?
Hinsdale officials seek to spur economic development with zoning changes
By Liora Engel-Smith Sentinel Staff
HINSDALE — With a new bridge in the works that will make the town more accessible from Interstate 91, town officials are proposing zoning changes they hope would spur economic development.
The changes would affect Brattleboro Road (Route 119), which runs from just west of the town’s center, and then north along the Connecticut River before crossing the Charles Dana and Anna Hunt Marsh bridges into Brattleboro.
The N.H. Department of Transportation plans to replace those bridges with a single-span structure to the south beginning in 2019.
Meanwhile, Hinsdale officials hope to bring the proposed zoning changes to the voters at the March town meeting.
The public will have an opportunity to comment on the zoning changes at a Jan. 16 hearing at 6:30 p.m. at Hinsdale Town Hall.
The town’s planning board will present a proposal that would zone smaller commercial lots near homes along Brattleboro Road as appropriate for outfits such as restaurants, gas stations or childcare facilities. Larger parcels that aren’t near homes would be zoned to allow light-industrial businesses, such as auto body shops and warehouses.
The affected properties — about 100 of them, according to the public notice posted in The Sentinel — are already zoned for commercial uses, but ordinances don’t specify what types of commercial activities are permissible. The new proposal would clarify the uses, increasing zoning transparency, Michael J. “Mike” Darcy, vice chairman of the board of selectmen and ex-officio member of the planning board, said.
Darcy said the new bridge could bring more traffic into Hinsdale, potentially creating fertile ground for new businesses along Route 119. Unlike the existing bridges, the new bridge will be wider, enabling more truck traffic.
“(It) will create the potential for more traffic, and part of that traffic can be the 18-wheelers that can carry the goods that can feed (the growth of) a retail store,” he said.
The zoning proposal, which has been in the works since spring 2017, would make the town “as development and business-friendly as it can be,” he said
“Our hope is that the clarification will make it easier for a property owner to promote their land to a developer, that it will actually create more appeal for developers,” he said.
The new bridge between Brattleboro and Hinsdale will replace two older bridges, which were built in 1920 and underwent rehabilitation in 1988.
In September 2017, the N.H. Department of Transportation presented a preliminary construction plan. Its staff will hold a public hearing about the bridge project on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at Hinsdale Town Hall. Construction will likely conclude in 2021 or 2022, Kathryn M. Lynch, Hinsdale’s community development coordinator, said.
“With the bridge coming, (the planning board) wanted to prepare for business to come to town,” she said.
Also along Brattleboro Road are several parcels of land owned by the state of New Hampshire. These parcels would be zoned for rural and agricultural uses, Darcy said.
“It’s one of those back burner things,” he said. “It existed, and it’s been a (question of) how do we use this (land) the best that we can. I think it was a strong exercise for the planning board to really delve into something and understand what our zoning is and how it works.”
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