Skip to main content

Travel New England - Quechee Gorge - Vermont's Little Grand Canyon

Image
By
A popular stop along US 4 in Central Vermont, both the Quechee Gorge and Bridge have a fascinating history of their own.  The bridge - a 285 foot long steel arch structure that carries US 4 over the Ottauquechee River - was first built for rail cars.  Constructed in 1911, the Quechee Gorge Bridge had originally carried the tracks of the Woodstock Railroad 163 feet over the gorge.  The bridge, designed by John W. Storrs and built by the American Bridge Company of New York, replaced a wood truss structure that had crossed the gorge since 1875. 
 
With the demise of passenger railroad in the region, the bridge was retrofitted and converted to automobile use in 1933.  Since then, the Quechee Gorge Bridge has carried US 4 over the scenic landscape below.   Today, the bridge is the oldest remaining steel arch bridge within the state of Vermont.  Over the years, the bridge and gorge, known as "Vermont's Little Grand Canyon," has become a very popular sightseeing spot along Route 4.  Hiking trails run north and south along the gorge.  One trail heads to the bottom of the gorge providing spectacular views of the bridge high above the Ottauquechee.  Others opt to take in dizzying views of the land below from both sides of the bridge. 

The bridge is surrounded by Quechee State Park.  The park, which opened in 1965, features camping, hiking and fishing as some of its top activities.  Quechee State Park is open from mid-May through Mid-October.

The Quechee Gorge is 165 feet deep and is Vermont's deepest gorge.  It is estimated to have formed as a result of glacial activity around 13,000 years ago.



Sadly, over the last decade the bridge has been the site of numerous suicide attempts.  From 2007 through the Summer of 2018 - 14 suicides occurred at the bridge.  In the first half of 2018, four were committed.   In 2018, the Vermont Agency of Transportation installed a temporary nine foot chain-link barrier to deter any additional attempts.  This is in addition to numerous other steps Vermont has taken to curb suicides at the bridge since 2016.  A final solution that would include either a barrier wall or net below the bridge is planned to be in place by 2022. (1)


All photos taken by post author May 2005 and August 2006.
Further Reading:
Getting There:

 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Petroleum Club Road (former California State Route 33 and US Route 399 past the Lakeview Gusher)

By
Petroleum Club Road is an approximately 5.3-mile rural highway located in the Sunset Oil Field of western Kern County.  This corridor was constructed as a frontage road of the Sunset Railroad and would be the site of the Lakeview Gusher in 1910.  Petroleum Club Road was the original alignment of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 between 1934-1938.  In 1938 the West Side Highway was constructed west of Lakeview Gusher and still serves as the current alignment of California State Route 33.   Part 1; the history of Petroleum Club Road Petroleum Club Road is the original highway which linked the oil communities of Maricopa and Taft.  Both cities were developed around the early boom of the Sunset Oil Field.  The early Sunset Oil Field can be seen centered along Cienega Canyon Road southwest of Buena Vista Lake in Township 11 North, Range 23 West on the 1898 Kern County Surveyors map .  In 1901 Post Office Service would be established at the Su...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kuakini Highway (former Hawaii Route 11 in Kailua-Kona)

By
Kuakini Highway east of Palani Road in Kailua-Kona is the original alignment of Hawaii Route 11.  The highway upon being commissioned in 1955 began at the Palani Road (then Hawaii Route 19) and followed Kuakini Highway southeast towards Holualoa.  Hawaii Route 11 was shifted to an extension of Queen Kaahumanu Highway during the late 1970s which bypassed downtown Kailua-Kona.   This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 11 and Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona Hawaii Route 11 is part of Mamalahoa Highway (the Hawaii Belt Road) and is the longest Hawaiian State Route at 121.97 miles.  The highway begins at the mutual junction of Hawaii Route 19 and Hawaii Route 190 in Kailua-Kona.  From Kailua-Kona the routing of Hawaii Route 11 crosses the volcanic landscapes of southern side of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

By
The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...
3 comments
Read more