The Vermont Agency of Transportation has offered a proposal to New Hampshire on fixing a deteriorating bridge that connects the states.
The 635-foot-long Vilas Bridge connecting Bellows Falls with Walpole, N.H., closed in 2009 after it was deemed unsafe. New Hampshire owns 93 percent and is responsible for that percentage of maintenance. It has said the proximity of another bridge and budgetary limitations make renovations unfeasible.
Vermont Transportation Deputy Secretary Sue Minter tells the Brattleboro Reformer the transportation commissioners in both states have talked about a Vermont offer to finance repairs on the condition that in the future, New Hampshire helps pay for repairs to other bridges spanning the Connecticut River.
New Hampshire's Transportation Department spokesman says the state's position is that it has too many unmet transportation needs.
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