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Arch Bridge, North Walpole

Connecticut River Bridge

The Arch Bridge, also known as the Bellows Falls Arch Bridge, was a significant structure that spanned the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls, Vermont, and North Walpole, New Hampshire. This three-hinged steel through arch bridge was structurally significant as it was the longest arch bridge in the United States when it was completed in 1905. The bridge was built to circumvent an existing toll bridge and prevent people from using the Boston and Maine Railroad bridge, a practice the railroad preferred to discourage. The bridge played an important role in the socio-economic development of the Bellows Falls and North Walpole area. However, it was replaced in 1982.

The current Arch Bridge, also known as the New Arch Bridge and the Church Street Bridge, is a 4-span girder bridge of no particular architectural significance. With the closure on March 19, 2009, of the Vilas Bridge roughly 0.5 miles (0.80 km) downstream, traffic on this bridge has increased dramatically. Due to the at-grade rail crossing on the New Hampshire side of the bridge, traffic can sometimes take as much as 20 minutes to get across.

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Contact Information
NH DOT
Arch Bridge
North Walpole, NH 03609

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