BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The Bellows Falls Village Trustees recently got their first look at the updated plans surrounding the redesign of Canal Street, which is directly related to the current Depot Street Bridge project. With construction set to begin in 2025, Canal Street will have a whole new look, featuring a one-way road for its entire length, as well as new lighting, sidewalks, and landscaping.
“The Centennial Park design is the last phase of the engineering,” Bellows Falls Town Manager Scott Pickup said in a recent interview. “However, there is still some work to be done on the details for the bridge railing, including feedback from our historic preservation committee.”
The changes will go hand-in-hand with the construction of the new Depot Street Bridge, including the demolition of the existing bridge and creation of a new bridge and pedestrian bridge between the downtown area and The Island location, where the train station and other businesses are located.
Back in the summer of 2019, the Rockingham Selectboard had made the decision to support the Vermont Agency of Transportation in demolishing and rebuilding the Depot Street Bridge. The more than 100-year-old bridge, which is owned by the local Great River Hydro facility, spans 96 feet, and is one of two concrete structures that access both the Bellows Falls Waypoint Center and aforementioned train station on Island Street.
“I would guess that the utility location on Canal Street will go out to bid over the summer,” Pickup added, “with the final designs and landscaping to follow later in the fall. Construction should be beginning sometime in 2025.”
Initially, residents expressed some disappointment over the potential loss of Centennial Park, also known as “Pigeon Park,” which sits next to the train station and includes trees, greenery, and town parking, due to the designs for the new bridge. However, it was also explained by Selectboard Member Elijah Zimmer that there is a plan to include a “green strip” adjacent to the canal side of Canal Street, to keep some nature and greenery as part of the location. The plan also includes a possible bike path to run alongside the green strip.
There is also a concern from residents near the new bridge project about the loss of trees around the Centennial Park area, and the Town of Bellows Falls plans to work with a landscaping consultant, that will be hired by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, to work on the project.