Upzoned – “Historic Bridge Battle: Will 1 Town Profit While the Other Pays?”

Podcast: Upzoned
Host: Abby Newsham (Planner, Kansas City)
Guest: Norm Van Eeden Petersman (Director of Membership, Strong Towns)
Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Abby Newsham and Norm Van Eeden Petersman dive into a current Boston Globe piece about a brewing controversy between two New England towns—Brattleboro, Vermont, and Hinsdale, New Hampshire—over the fate of two decommissioned historic steel truss bridges. Once slated to become a vibrant pedestrian greenway and public park, plans for the bridges’ reuse are now in doubt due to financial, jurisdictional, and public safety concerns. The discussion explores themes of historic preservation, equitable benefit sharing, community activation, and how best to approach public infrastructure reuse when incentives and risks are misaligned.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background of the Bridge Controversy

• The old bridges, connecting Brattleboro and Hinsdale, were closed after a new modern bridge opened in 2023.
• There were visionary plans for the old bridges: a greenway for bikes and pedestrians, river island park, outdoor dining, amphitheater, kayak launch, fishing pier—a small-scale High Line for the region.
  Abby: “The plan included outdoor dining and amphitheater, kayak launch, fishing pier... could preserve the historic infrastructure and also spark local economic activity.” (03:08)
• The state of New Hampshire allocated $9M for rehabilitation, but delayed work and refused to fund ongoing maintenance or policing.
• Majority of bridge property lies on the New Hampshire side due to a quirk in the border. Hinsdale worries about being saddled with costs while Brattleboro (whose downtown sits at the bridge) reaps most benefits.

2. Public Safety & Economic Fears

• Brattleboro has struggled with homelessness, drug use, and crime, particularly concerning for Hinsdale.
• Residents fear reopening the bridges will invite more problems. Notably, a recent murder of a social worker increased opposition.
• Ongoing illegal crossings prompt police patrols even with barriers in place.
• Alternatives debated: bi-state bridge authority, private management, even shifting state lines.

3. The Strong Towns Approach: Start Small, Activate, Repurpose

• Norm points out the pattern of neglected public assets becoming magnets for problems.
• Activating underutilized infrastructure can reverse decline, referencing Strong Towns’ own renovated headquarters.

  Norm (05:43): “Keeping it under barricade is actually contributing to the sense that it is off limits... when you can open that up, that's how you bring that life back into it.”

• Instead of waiting for $9M or big plans, start with "the next smallest thing:" remove barricades, allow pedestrian access, add benches, solar lighting, stage small events.

  Norm (08:20): “From a strong town's perspective, I would ask, like what's the next smallest thing you could do here?”

• Community-driven organizations (“Friends of Island Park,” etc.) can steward the transition.

4. Challenging the Crime Activation Argument

• Abby questions the logic that public space improvements attract crime. Instead, inactive, desolate infrastructure is what cultivates those outcomes.

  Abby (09:13): “Improving public space... is a really common argument people use against adding benches or really any improvement... Doing nothing to improve these spaces does not fix the problem. It exacerbates it.”

5. Real-World Comparisons & Solutions

• Abby draws on Kansas City examples:
  • Buck O’Neill Bridge (historic, lost to demolition).
  • Rock Island Bridge (being transformed into an entertainment district with food vendors, events, venue rentals, funded by both cities it connects, suggesting a bi-state model).

  Abby (11:55): “Places you can get food and beer and sit... Actual activation by private restaurants leasing space on this bridge. Anything to get eyes on it is kind of the anecdote for addressing these crime concerns.”

• Norm and Abby agree: keeping infrastructure active and relevant discourages crime, increases belonging, and creates economic vibrancy.

6. Governance and Equitable Benefit

• New Hampshire's economic benefit is dubious; their side is mainly rural and disconnected, while Brattleboro’s downtown would see most gains.

  Abby (19:05): “I can understand the point that... investing in this bridge on the New Hampshire side isn’t really going to give us a ton of direct economic benefit in the near term.”

• Suggests: Brattleboro should lead funding/maintenance, possibly with bi-state agreements.

• Norm suggests the bridge could spur development on the Hinsdale side if the town allows for incremental growth, creating long-term mutual benefit.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Norm (05:43): “Keeping it under barricade is actually contributing to the sense that it is off limits except to those that are in some state of need... when you can open that up, that's how you bring that life back into it.”
• Abby (09:13): “This idea that improving public space is going to attract more crime or vagrant behavior... doing nothing to improve these spaces does not fix the problem. It exacerbates it.”
• Norm (14:39): “The next smallest thing in this case is not moving the state border... Try small things. Looks like just installing a few benches, finding some solar powered lighting... to reclaim it as pedestrian space.”
• Abby (11:55): “[Rock Island Bridge]... is going to be basically an entertainment district over a river... Actually going to be activated by private restaurants.. Anything to get eyes on it I think is kind of the anecdote for addressing these crime concerns.”
• Norm (18:39): “The moment that the vehicles pounding the bridge are no longer passing by and the noise comes right down, you can hear the river. I’d give anything to be able to hear the river... possibilities are endless.”
• Abby & Norm (23:29):
  • Abby: “Did you notice the name of the marina that is next to this bridge? … It's called Norm's Marina.”
  • Norm (23:33): “Oh, there we go. It's my people.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:14] – Abby’s overview of the article and bridge controversy
• [05:43] – Norm on neglected public assets and repurposing
• [09:13] – Abby dispels the “crime will follow” myth, offers local context
• [11:55] – Kansas City-style bridge reuse, applied lessons
• [14:39] – Norm: practical first steps and avoiding “big project fatigue”
• [19:05] – Mapping the towns: why benefit is asymmetric
• [21:56] – Norm: incremental development and future town center potential
• [23:29] – Marina called “Norm’s Marina”—lighthearted discovery
• [23:54] – Wrap up, plans to revisit

Final Thoughts

Both hosts emphasize that the real long-term value of public infrastructure comes from deliberate stewardship, gradual activation, and embracing a cross-jurisdictional, community-driven approach. Rather than letting fear dominate or defaulting to demolition, towns should experiment with small, low-risk improvements that build momentum and demonstrate what’s possible, while negotiating fair cost and benefit sharing for all stakeholders.

Norm (21:56): “You would expect to see... the nucleus of a new sort of town center can really begin to emerge there and have a great sort of passageway that actually benefits both sides.”

Useful for anyone interested in: community revitalization, infrastructure reuse, inter-governmental cooperation, and the Strong Towns “Start Small” philosophy.