Gone But Not Forgotten: The Historic Arch Bridge Over the Connecticut River

In our most recent exploration of the bridges of Bellows Falls, we told the story of the Vilas Bridge, whose predecessor, a wooden toll bridge built in 1785, was the first bridge over the Connecticut River.

This time, let’s travel a half-mile upstream and into the early 20th century to look at the history of the landmark Arch Bridge connecting Bellows Falls VT and North Walpole NH.

A Toll-Free and Safe Way to Get to Work

In 1904, municipal leaders in Bellows Falls and North Walpole formed a joint committee with the intention of building an entirely new and toll-free bridge over the Connecticut.

Interestingly, one purpose of the bridge was to discourage employees of the Fall Mountain Paper Company and the Boston and Maine Railroad, many of whom lived in North Walpole, from crossing the Connecticut River on the Boston and Maine railroad bridge to get to work in Bellows Falls.

Opened in March 1905, the main span of this innovative “three-hinged through arch bridge” ran 540 feet, making it the longest steel through arch bridge in the U.S. at the time of construction and one of the largest arch bridges in the world.

A 104-foot auxiliary bridge of bowstring truss design crossed over the Rutland Railroad line on the Vermont bank, giving the Arch Bridge an overall bridge length of 644 feet. A contemporary postcard below shows the Arch Bridge from the Vermont side.

Why an Arch Bridge?

Arch bridge construction was preferred in part because of the challenge of sinking a central bridge pier into the 25-foot-deep and unstable Connecticut riverbed. Also, the Bellows Falls Canal Company was concerned about the potential impact of bridge abutments on the water flow into the canal.

The bridge was designed by Joseph Worcester, an 1882 Harvard graduate and Boston-based civil engineer known for his pioneering work in steel and reinforced concrete structures.  Later, in 1921, Worcester was appointed to a national committee on building codes and material standards by then-President Herbert Hoover.

The Arch Bridge, shown above under construction in 1905, was built by Lewis F. Shoemaker and Company, a construction firm out of Pottstown PA known for its expertise in steel bridge construction. The cost of construction was $45,000, with the Town of Walpole NH contributing $30,000 and the Town of Rockingham VT $15,000.

Significantly damaged by ice floes during the flood of March 1937, the Arch Bridge was extensively repaired at a cost of $120,000 by the American Bridge Company out of Philadelphia.  Further adjustments took place in 1961 before the state of New Hampshire closed the steel bridge due to concerns about its structural integrity in 1971.

"The Bridge defiantly stood "

In December 1982, demolition crews using powerful British-made explosives attempted to blow up the bridge three times. Roughly 4,000 people were in attendance, and with each failed attempt, the crowd shouted in support of the bridge.

According to a Christian Science Monitor article, "Like an actor who has forgotten his exit cue, the bridge stood frozen--anticlimactic and sound." Demolition lasted two days and finally the bridge collapsed into the river after it was sliced with hot torches. In 1984, the Arch Bridge was replaced with "the Church Street Bridge," a functional, four-span girder bridge “of no particular architectural significance.”

Today, locals still call it ""the old Arch Bridge." A bronze silhouette of the Arch can be found on a stone monument located on the New Hampshire side of the bridge. Dan Scully's award-winning design of the Waypoint Visitor Center, shown below, pays homage to the Arch Bridge and Bellows Falls' rich railroad history. The Waypoint Visitor Center, located on the Island in Bellows Falls, is home to the Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce.

We’ll have more interesting stories and historical coverage of the bridges of Bellows Falls in our next blog post!

Questions?

You can email us at any time with questions about the Depot Street Bridge replacement project at developmentassist@rockbf.org.  You can also send us information on the history of the area, which we'll be happy to share with the community through this blog.