The Forest Service announced Thursday it will remove the Thoreau Falls Bridge and not replace it.
The bridge is located in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. It was built in 1962, two years before the Wilderness Act of 1964.
District Ranger Brooke Brown says she considered that act when she made her decision. It prizes solitude and the challenge of undeveloped places.
"Wildernesses...their values are not in line with human-made structures, and this bridge is a human-made structure," she said.
The Forest Service collected public comments on the bridge and many had hoped it would be replaced.
Brown says users of the wilderness area should be prepared for its challenges and can find other ways to cross the river safely. She doesn't expect to see any decline in visitors.
