What Do We Want to Do? 

Manchester Riverwalk Association seeks to build a bridge over the West Branch of the Battenkill to connect the Town Green with Old Main Street. 

Why Do We Want to Build This Bridge? 

The Battenkill is a storied river. It is precisely why Manchester exists today. It was also key in making Manchester a favorite retreat from the cities. Today, the river is crucial to our town’s history, to our current role as a tourist destination, and in building a more vibrant community. 

Yet, in many ways, we have turned our back to the river. Businesses face away from it, access is difficult, and for years the riparian zone was neglected. Manchester Riverwalk has begun addressing this at the riverside, and there is more opportunity to educate, inform, and impress people with an amazing view from the bridge. Working together with the Manchester Historical Society, we will add information panels with historical photos and information about the views from the bridge, what they once encompassed and how and why the landscape has changed.

An Extraordinary, Unforgettable Destination

Let’s help the fish rebound! Let’s educate visitors and residents alike about the vital history of Battenkill and Manchester! Let’s invite and encourage pedestrians to linger longer in our downtown. Let’s make the river—one of our most important, singular assets—an amazing focal point that people will remember as a highlight of their time in southern Vermont. 

Riverwalks in other areas have significantly contributed to helping communities thrive. Examples include Bend, OR; Winooski and Middlebury, VT; Great Barrington, MA, and others. A Riverwalk is a great treasure to a town. Expand that concept by adding a pedestrian bridge over the waterway and everyone is given the opportunity to more closely experience the river—school groups and seniors, wedding events and art classes; bird watchers and fish fanatics; the disabled and the parent pushing a stroller.  

We Have Laid the Groundwork

Manchester Riverwalk’s volunteers have raised the funds for all the preliminary work leading up to building the bridge. We have contracted (and paid) for design and engineering drawings for the bridge. We have worked with the Town of Manchester to assure that they will take over the maintenance of the bridge once it is complete. We have carefully researched construction materials for the bridge in order to minimize long-term maintenance. And we have the blessing and backing of the Manchester Selectboard.

When Will We Build? 

We need to have all our funding in place before we can begin construction. We hope to be underway in the third quarter of 2022. We plan to complete bridge construction in the Spring of 2023, and then follow it with a thoughtfully designed restorative landscaping plan, also completed (and approved by the Manchester Garden Committee). 

How Much Will It Cost? 

This 110’ long bridge with its elaborate engineering to assure stability on a steep bank, will cost $800,000. The great news is that we are already halfway there! Riverwalk is the recipient of a generous $250,000 matching grant from the Right Track Foundation. We also have $100,000 in the bank that we have raised to date. And most recently we received a commitment of $50,000 from a local business, Wohler Realty. With $400,000 lined up, we need only raise the remaining $400,000. We very much hope our community will embrace the history, the romance, the excitement, and the unique opportunity to create something very special, very positive, and very attractive in the heart of Manchester. It’s a win-win: good for businesses and good for the community. 

Set Your Legacy on the Banks of the Battenkill

We ask that you consider being part of this transformative place, for the vitality and beauty of our town, to be enjoyed by many generations to come. 

• The Bridge will be 110’ long, 8’ wide, sit approximately 20’ above the water, and provide a dramatic view of the Mill Pond waterfall.
• It will offer a unique vantage point from which to see the river, joining the Depot Street neighborhood to Main Street, creating a compelling reason to explore and linger in Manchester.
• It will provide access to the wonders of the river for all. ADA handicapped accessible for those not able to scramble down to the river’s edge, it offers a window into the entire river corridor—teeming with history and nature.
• Brings increased attention to and education about the West Branch of the Battenkill and its critical trout population.
• A collaboration between the all-volunteer, non-profit Manchester Riverwalk Association and the Town of Manchester, which will maintain the bridge.
• The centerpiece of the Riverwalk trail system