QUECHEE — Construction resumed on the Quechee Gorge bridge project earlier this month, and is again expected to continue through October.

The $19.1 million project, which began in 2023, includes improvements to the bridge deck, pavement, and sidewalks. Worn sections of the steel arch will be reinforced or replaced, and the arch will be cleaned and painted.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation estimates that the project will be completed by June 2026. Originally expected to be completed within two seasons, the project timeline has been extended by delays in the delivery of materials and by staffing shortages, according to VTrans.

As part of the project, the bridge’s suicide mitigation barrier will be made more permanent and aesthetically pleasing, while maintaining views, VTrans said. The Quechee Gorge bridge saw 14 suicides between 2007 and 2018, when a temporary chain-link fence was installed as a deterrent. 

The bridge, which rises 165 feet above the Ottauquechee River, was constructed in the early 20th century as a railroad bridge and later converted for vehicle use.

During the current renovation project, traffic on the bridge — an average of 9,200 cars per day — is restricted to one lane on Route 4 with traffic lights managing alternating vehicle flow. 

Work resumed March 10 and is currently taking place in the eastbound lane. During the middle of the construction season, it will shift to the westbound lane.

The hiking trail under the bridge is closed during construction, but a detour is available next to the Quechee Gorge Visitor Center. 

In addition to Quechee State Park and the visitor center, a number of seasonal businesses adjacent to the bridge cater to sightseeing visitors. Business owners have in the past expressed concern that the traffic congestion and limited parking caused by the project has negatively impacted their businesses.

“People definitely complain,” about the wait times at the bridge, Betsy Coburn, owner of The Tack Attic, said Friday. Her shop, which is located a block from the bridge, sells specialty horse tack and rider equipment.

“If people are coming, it’s because they know what they need,” so they endure the traffic delays, she said. But she points shoppers to nearby Dewey's Mills Road as a way to skirt the construction site by using the Quechee covered bridge at Waterman Hill Road instead.

Harrison and Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. of Glenmont, New York are the contractors for the project.   

Information and updates about the bridge work may be found on the project website at: vtrans.vermont.gov/projects/quechee. 

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.