Bridge 61 (The Quechee Gorge Bridge) is a historic state owned bridge located over the Quechee Gorge. The Quechee Gorge Bridge has been designated a "Forever Bridge" - Due to the construction costs for a replacement of this high value structure along with its highly significant historic value, preservation of the existing bridge is desired to keep it in service as long as possible.  

The existing structure is a 3-Hinge Steel Deck Arch constructed in 1911 and reconstructed in 1972 and 1989.  It is approximately 285 feet in length and 41 feet wide.  The bridge deck is in ‘good’ condition while the superstructure and substructure are in 'fair' and ‘satisfactory’ condition respectively.

VTrans evaluated several preventative maintenance options to preserve and extend the service life of the Harford US Route 4 Bridge 61 in an engineering study completed in January of 2018.  The study assessed the proposed design criteria for lane and shoulder widths, safety criteria, and historic requirements.  The report recommends a number of preventative maintenance measures, including:

     • Cleaning and painting the steel arch members
     • Replacement of deteriorated steel members
     • Bridge joint repair or replacement
     • Bearing rehabilitation/replacement
     • A deck membrane and pave application
     • Widening of the existing Sidewalks – New concrete sidewalks and fascias
     • Partial deck replacement to the approximate limits of the 1972 deck and sidewalk reconstruction
     • Silane application to the substructures and new concrete sidewalks and fascias
     • Slope stabilization

The preventative maintenance project will also include suicide mitigation considerations/retrofits as discussed in the “Quechee Gorge Bridge Safety Issues: Suicide Prevention Alternatives” report to the Vermont Legislature dated January 10, 2017.  

The Agency installed a "temporary" safety fence as a suicide mitigation measure in the fall of 2018.