Summary
The Wells River Bridge between Wells River, Vermont and Woodsville, New Hampshire, is a steel double-decked Baltimore truss bridge over the Connecticut River. It was built in 1903 to carry rail and road traffic.
Wells River Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Wells River Bridge in 2007 | |
| Coordinates | 44°09′15″N 72°02′26″W / 44.15417°N 72.04056°W |
| Crosses | Connecticut River |
| Locale | between Woodsville, New Hampshire and Wells River, Vermont |
| Official name | Veterans Memorial Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | steel pin-connected Baltimore truss[1] |
| Total length | 253 feet (77 m)[1] |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1805, 1853, 1903, reopened 2001-2003 |
| Location | |
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History edit
The first bridge at this crossing was built in 1805.[1][2] In 1853, the Boston, Concord, & Montreal Railroad built a double-decked wooden Burr truss covered bridge over the Connecticut River on this alignment.[2] The railroad collected tolls from users of the highway.[2]
The current Wells River Bridge was built in 1903 by the Boston & Maine Railroad, which took over the route, to carry rail and road traffic, to replace the previous bridge.[1][2] In 1917, the road traffic was rerouted over a new bridge just downstream, called the Ranger Bridge.[1][2] The railroad continued to use this bridge until no later than 2001, when it was used for vehicle traffic while the Ranger Bridge was being rehabilitated.[2] As of 2007, this bridge is fenced off and unused.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Knoblock, Glenn A. (25 January 2012). Historic Iron and Steel Bridges in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 178–179. ISBN 9780786448432.
- ^ a b c d e f List of Highway Bridges on the Connecticut River Between Vermont and New Hampshire by 1906, with Notes on Later Spans (PDF). Concord, NH: New Hampshire Division of Historical Records. July 2009. p. 8. Retrieved 29 May 2015.