This story was originally produced by The Keene Sentinel. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Completion last year of a new span carrying Route 119 over the Connecticut River between Hinsdale and Brattleboro has created a conundrum over what should be done with a pair of 1920s-era bridges that were the main connection between the two communities.
The Charles Dana Bridge crosses a section of the river and leads to a small island. The Anna Hunt Marsh Bridge takes traffic from the island to Brattleboro.
Federal money paid for most of the $61.2 million project to construct the new bridge, and about $9 million was designated to rehabilitate the old bridges for pedestrian and bicycle use.
Some have urged that a greenway be developed on the island, including picnic space, a fishing pier, an amphitheater and a kayakers’ cove.
Brattleboro town leaders like that idea, but Hinsdale officials want no part of it, saying they want to avoid the ongoing maintenance and public safety expenses that would be involved.
“A lot of the taxpayers have been pretty vocal as well as the selectmen that we just don’t have the capacity to maintain a bridge or the island,” Hinsdale Town Manager Kathryn Lynch said in an interview Tuesday.
“We just don’t feel that it’s sustainable for this small town. We’re not a very rich community.”
The Brattleboro boundary begins at the low-water mark on the western bank of the Connecticut River, and some of the footings for one of the bridges are in that town, but the island and the rest of the bridge structures are in Hinsdale.
If the bridges aren’t torn down, Hinsdale would be responsible for mowing and patrolling the island as well as plowing the bridges, Lynch said.
As it is, Hinsdale police officers have been going to the island daily and sometimes twice a day to investigate reports of trespassing, she said.
The bridges are roped off and no-trespassing signs are posted, but some people still walk across. The state is building gates to better restrict access.
The old spans are regarded as historical features and since their rehabilitation is part of the federally funded project to build the new bridge, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would have to approve their removal, Lynch said.
Brattleboro selectboard vice chair Oscar Heller said in an interview Tuesday that rehabilitating the old bridges for pedestrians and bicyclists as well as making the island available for public use has long been anticipated by residents.
“This isn’t something we just came up with and are trying to make happen,” Heller said.
He said it would be “surprising and distressing to a lot of people on the Vermont side” if the bridges are torn down.
“As far as benefits, there are trails in New Hampshire and trails in Vermont,” Heller said. “Trail connectedness is something that is a value to both states and both communities.
“There is an obvious benefit to Brattleboro as we can see a beautiful region of the river from our downtown.”
He said he would like to see representatives from both towns come together and reach a compromise, including potentially finding a way to address Hinsdale’s concerns about ongoing maintenance and policing costs.
“I think it’s also a good symbol of the relationship between our two towns, which I think has been excellent and I would be sad to see it torn down,” Heller said.
Officials from both towns say meetings with the N.H. Department of Transportation are ongoing.
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