Town officials look to reopen Upper Bridge in Keeseville

November 11,2025

By Teah Dowling, Sun Community News

KEESEVILLE | Recently, Essex County authorized the Community Resources Department to apply for a Smart Growth Grant to fund a feasibility study for the Upper Bridge, which has been closed for 18 years.

The towns of Chesterfield and Ausable hope to eventually reopen the bridge that closed almost two decades ago, thereby eliminating higher traffic commute times, safety concerns, and traffic congestion at the intersection of Main Street and Front Street.

“Having that bridge would create a connector to the downtown area for residents and emergency personnel. It would be beneficial,” said Town of Ausable Supervisor Tim Bresett. “That’s why we should really be pushing to get that bridge to reopen in any capacity.”

The feasibility study will look into the structure itself, as well as traffic flow and what the necessary renovations are to reopen the structure,” Bresett said. “I’d say it’s probably going to be a good six or more months before we really hear much more on that. But we’re just hopeful that we get the study done soon so that we can finally move forward with reopening the bridge.”

Also known as the “River Street Bridge” or “Mill Street Bridge,” the Upper Bridge, which dates back to the 1870s, is the oldest and longest double-span metal Pratt truss bridge in New York State. It was documented in the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1987.

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