This story by Lukas Dunford was first published in Valley News on Nov. 25, 2025.
QUECHEE — Traffic on the Quechee Gorge Bridge will continue to be limited to one alternating lane this winter due to delays in the ongoing $23.9 million bridge rehabilitation project. This will be the second winter in a row in which traffic on the bridge, which carries Route 4 some 285 feet across the Ottauqueechee River, has been restricted to one lane.
“I think it’s under two minutes … before the light will change,” said Nick Tsouknakis, owner of the nearby Quechee Pizza Chef. “So, you know, once people realize that, then it’s not that much of an issue.”
While the delays may be minor, Tsouknakis does attribute a decrease in the numbers of passersby to the bridge construction, which has been ongoing from spring to late fall since 2023.
“We’re going on 32 years here, and we’ve had constant gains over the years,” Tsouknakis said. “But less so since the bridge has been worked on.”
Route 4 is a primary connector between the Connecticut River Valley and destinations further west, from skiers traveling toward Killington to trucks driving to the New York Thruway. The bridge, which stands 165 feet over Vermont’s deepest gorge, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
Originally expected to be completed in 2024, the project has been extended by delays due to supply chain issues and staffing shortages, according to the Vermont Agency of Transportation, or VTrans.
Work has included rehabilitation and cleaning of the structural steel arch and its framing, which support the bridge deck, according to VTrans. In addition, railings and new sidewalks will be constructed.
In the construction season that is now concluding, workers completed a driving lane and walkway on the bridge’s south side, according to VTrans. Work on the north side, however, won’t be finished by the end of this year’s construction, as was originally planned.
The delay stems from the discovery of “additional deterioration of critical components of the steel arch” in the summer of 2024, according to a news release from VTrans last week. The development required additional design and detailing, the release said.
The extra work required traffic to be restricted to one alternating lane last winter, and is also the cause of this winter’s inability to open both lanes, according to the release. The bridge sits beside the Quechee State Park, which has closed certain trails during construction. Pizza Chef is among several nearby shops and restaurants that have experienced decreased traffic during construction.
Still, Tsouknakis understands the need for the bridge construction.
“It was something that needed to be done,” he said. “At the end of the day, I think it’ll be really nice.”
Although the north side has no accessible sidewalk, the contractor has vacated the southwest parking lot, which is now open to the public for parking, according to the project website. There is a protected sidewalk from the lot to the accessible bridge sidewalk.
Construction will resume in March 2026 under the project contracted by the Glenmont, N.Y.-based Harrison & Burrowes Bridge Constructors, Inc. VTrans expects the project to be completed with two lanes of traffic and both sidewalks open for public use by late June.
