Hinsdale-Brattleboro Route 119 Bridge

With new Hinsdale-Brattleboro bridge on horizon, committee plans old spans' future

By Meg McIntyre Sentinel Staff
Jul 28, 2019 Updated 34 min ago 

With the completion of a new bridge connecting Hinsdale to Brattleboro still several years away, a local subcommittee is already hard at work to determine the future of the existing bridges between the two towns.

Remember this wasn't the original names of the bridges. I think it had no name. I wonder when the new bridge inspection is comming. Remember it was red listed last year. It should have been on the highly politicalized list for many decades.    

Named after Charles Dana and Anna Hunt Marsh, the Route 119 bridges are Pennsylvania truss-style spans built in 1920 and rehabilitated in 1988. A new bridge is set to be built several hundred feet downstream, with construction slated to begin next year and finish in 2023.

A project to replace the bridges has been included in New Hampshire’s 10-year transportation improvement plan since fiscal year 1994, with its start date being delayed several times.

A subcommittee comprising representatives from both communities has been meeting to discuss the existing bridges for a little more than a year, according to J.B. Mack, principal planner for the Southwest Region Planning Commission. Mack said he’s facilitating the committee process to gather feedback and input from community stakeholders.

An environmental assessment document created as part of the state’s overall bridge replacement project identified the existing bridges as a historic “extension of downtown Brattleboro,” according to Mack. That document proposes using the bridges for pedestrian and bicycle use.

I never seen the term "Hinsdale Island" before. It was once termed as Island Park. It seems the floating name of the island is a open question. As with everything in this area very little public information gets to the public including metting times and dates.  

The subcommittee is also looking at the future of Hinsdale Island, which connects the two bridges, Mack said. After speaking with the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, it appears that extensive construction on the island would not be possible because it is in the floodplain zone and is primarily composed of alluvial deposits.

“They’ve talked about maybe putting a gazebo or having a park out there, but in terms of intensive development, it doesn’t look like it’s a good idea,” Mack said.

The group is also looking at the possibility of creating a trail loop connecting the old and new bridges that would allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross on one bridge and return on the other, he said.

“We’ve talked about working with local groups to do some interpretive signage where basically people can learn more about the history of the river, or people that used to live on the river,” he said. “The native Abenaki has been one idea, and sort of the industrial past of Brattleboro.”

Funding is still being secured for the refurbishment of the existing bridges, according to Mack, but the N.H. Department of Transportation has applied for a federal BUILD Grant for the project.

The subcommittee has met three times so far, according to Mack. At this point, there is no concrete timeline for the group to complete its work, he said, but members plan to continue brainstorming before ultimately bringing their proposal to the community for feedback.

“We’ve got quite a bit of time to do our planning, but at the same time, it’s so close especially to Brattleboro that it’s an important resource, and we’ve got to start planning for it as soon as possible,” he said.

The Existing Bridges Subcommittee plans to meet again in August, Mack said, but a specific date and time have not yet been set. Once scheduled, information about the next meeting, along with general information about the wider bridge replacement project, will be available at www.nh.gov/dot/projects/hinsdalebrattleboro12210.