Old toll bridge, originally uploaded by MemaNH. This spans the Connecticut River between Charlestown, NH and Springfield, VT. It ceased to be a toll bridge in 2001.
The first Cheshire Bridge, completed in 1806, was a wooden covered bridge established according to a ferry charter granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1772. All who crossed it paid a toll. Four-wheeled carriages were charged 25 cents, a horse and a rider six cents and pedestrians one cent.
In 1896, the Springfield Electric Railway Company purchased the Cheshire Toll Bridge and the ferry charter for $8,400. The wooden bridge was replaced with a steel truss structure which cost the company $225,000. The current Cheshire Toll Bridge was built in 1930 and completely rehabilitated in 1992 following its purchase by the State of New Hampshire.
Approximately 4,000 vehicles a day cross the Cheshire Bridge. In fiscal year 2000, tolls and user fees on the bridge generated $495,823 in income. The toll rate for a two-axle vehicle has been 35 cents.
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