United States Navy Seabees Bridge

United States Navy Seabees Bridge and Justice Harlan Fiske Stone Bridge
300px 1937 bridge on the left, 2003 bridge on the right, from the New Hampshire side (2013)
Coordinates
Carries	NH 9
Crosses	Connecticut River
Locale	Brattleboro, Vermont to Chesterfield, New Hampshire
Characteristics
Design	steel two-hinged through arch bridge
History
Opened	1888, 1937, 2003

The United States Navy Seabees Bridge is a through-steel two-hinged arch bridge over the Connecticut River located between Brattleboro, Vermont, and Chesterfield, New Hampshire. It carries the Franklin Pierce Highway, New Hampshire Route 9, which connects to Vermont Route 9 on the Vermont side. It runs parallel to the Justice Harlan Fiske Stone Bridge which it replaced, but which has been retained as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge.

History and construction

In 1888, a suspension bridge was built over the Connecticut River between Brattleboro and Chesterfield. It lasted until 1936, when it was heavily damaged by a flood. Divers have confirmed that pieces of the old bridge still lie on the riverbed under the current bridges.

In 1937, a steel arch bridge was constructed as a replacement. That same year, it received from the American Institute of Steel Construction the "Annual Award for Merit for Most Beautiful Steel Bridge, Class C".

In 2003 a new steel arch bridge was built, because of concerns about the safety of the old bridge. The new bridge was built for heavier loads. It has a wider deck, more overhead clearance, and utilizes suspender cables instead of thin suspender beams. The old bridge was retained as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, and in 2010 was named by the State of New Hampshire for the former Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court Harlan Fiske Stone, who was born in Chesterfield.

Gallery

• IMG 4528 United States Seabees Bridge 1937 award plaque.jpg

  1937 bridge's award plaque

• 229 36 United States Navy Seabees Bridge.jpg

  Both bridges from the road of the 1937 bridge, looking up

• 229 37 suspender cable attach point on new bridge.jpg

  Suspender cable attach point on the 2003 bridge

• Justice Harlan Fiske Stone Bridge plaque.jpg

  Plaque re-dedicating the old bridge

See also

• List of crossings of the Connecticut River

References

Notes

External links

• Chesterfield Arch Bridge Beautification and Preservation Society