West Lebanon's Shortest Route to the Plazas Is Now a Footbridge
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
At 7 a.m. on Monday, September 14, the South Main Street/Route 12A Dry Bridge closed to all vehicles. The city has approved keeping it fully closed for 365 days. The new bridge isn't expected to be finished until the end of 2027. Until then, if you drive from Main Street West Lebanon to Glen Road Plaza, you go up Seminary Hill, onto I-89, and back down at Exit 20. Last year that same route was a 4-mile detour. If you walk, there's a temporary footbridge right next to where the old bridge stood.
That simple fact changes how this side of town works for the next year. West Lebanon now has two shopping districts with a footbridge between them. The footbridge is the only direct connection. Cars and buses both have to take the long way around.
The Dry Bridge is a 145-foot span over railroad tracks, which is why it's called "dry." About 10,000 vehicles a day used to cross it. It has been on New Hampshire's red list of bridges needing major repair since 1998. Engineers Construction, Inc., based in Williston, Vermont, is managing the $14.3 million replacement. The City Council approved the yearlong closure to cut costs and attract bids.
The city's October 2 update says the old bridge is completely demolished. Crews are installing sheet piles for cofferdams and drainage. The temporary footbridge is ADA-accessible, is open to pedestrians and cyclists, and will stay in place for the whole project.
Here's how each way of crossing compares right now:
| Getting from Main Street to the Route 12A plazas | Route as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| By car, heading south | Route 4 East along Seminary Hill, Miracle Mile and Mechanic Street, then I-89 North to Exit 20 and South Main Street/Route 12A |
| By car, heading north | I-89 South from Exit 20 to Exit 19, left onto Route 4 West/Mechanic Street, then Miracle Mile and Seminary Hill back to Main Street |
| By Advance Transit, weekdays | Red Route from Main & Church, the stop across from it, or Shaw's, through Lebanon City Hall and then out to the plazas |
| On foot or by bike | The temporary footbridge, which is ADA-accessible; cyclists are asked to walk their bikes across |
On a bus, the change is bigger than it looks on a map. Advance Transit has stopped serving four stops: Romano Circle, Glen Road Plaza, and the stops across the street from each. According to Advance Transit data reported by the Valley News, about 13,000 riders boarded at those four stops between July 1, 2025 and the end of June 2026, and just under 13,000 got off there. Ashley Manning, Advance Transit's interim executive director, told the paper that riders who usually catch the bus near the bridge can walk across the footbridge to stops that are still open. Advance Transit also says weekend boarding is unchanged. If someone can't reach the nearest stop because of a disability, Manning encouraged them to apply for Access AT, the agency's curb-to-curb paratransit service.
This has happened before. In March 2025, the city closed the same bridge with less than 24 hours' notice, and the detour lasted about a month. During that month, the Valley News reported that some drivers took a "detour to the detour." They went up Seminary Hill to Glen Road and backed up traffic at a one-lane rail underpass that only has yield signs.
Glen Road isn't on the official detour map this time. The city says drivers are "strongly encouraged to follow the posted detour route rather than using local roads as alternatives." When the Valley News asked whether Glen Road would get any traffic controls, the city hadn't answered by deadline. Last time, the underpass was what backed up. Now, if your errand is on the far side of the tracks and the walk is reasonable, the footbridge avoids both the underpass and the interstate.
The city says area businesses and facilities are open during construction. With the footbridge in the middle, the restaurants on Main Street and the ones in the plazas are now in one walkable loop. These spots are on each side. Check hours before you go, because most of them come from the businesses' own websites and those pages don't show when they were last updated.
The Main Street side
Kilton is closed Monday, October 12. The calendar also lists a "Spooky Sing Along" on October 30, but it's marked as a draft, so confirm it with the library before planning on it.
The plaza side
Taste of Punjab opened in the summer, before the closure, and now it has a footbridge across the tracks instead of a drivable bridge. The Valley News hasn't reported on how the closure has affected any specific business on either side yet. The city's position is simple: everything is open.
Ten days after the Dry Bridge closed, a different problem in Lebanon got fixed. The $3.86 million roundabout at Mechanic, High and Mascoma streets opened to traffic after crews finished base paving. The city designed it to replace what it called a "dangerous and confusing four-leg intersection." The city's announcement included a quick reminder of how a roundabout works:
"Vehicles already circulating within the roundabout have the right‑of‑way. Enter the roundabout only when there is a safe gap in traffic, following the circular flow. Use your turn signal to indicate your exit as you approach it."
The roundabout is open, but the work isn't done. Final paving is scheduled for next spring. The city's project schedule sets final completion for June 15, 2027. The October 2 update says crews are working on a concrete wall and truck apron this week. The Rail Trail access is still open, with flaggers and a detour in place.
The roundabout also changed a local lunch spot. Phnom Penh Sandwich Station closed its 1 High Street shop on February 14 so the building could be torn down for the project. Owner Sarin Tin planned to reopen at 129 Mechanic Street, a former dermatology office, after renovations. The building was demolished on March 10. We haven't found a confirmed opening date for the Mechanic Street location. For now, the restaurant's website lists its storefront at 7 S Main St. in White River Junction.
There's one more downtown move to watch. In June, Lucky's Coffee Garage announced it was leaving 1 North Park St. for 1 Court St., the space Scratch Supply Co. used to occupy. By July 22, city Heritage Commission minutes listed Jessica Giordani as the owner. The shop had hoped to open in the new space by late August, but we haven't seen confirmation that it has.
On top of the bridge and the roundabout, several other projects are underway in Lebanon this week:
The roundabout and Route 120 work will be done before the bridge. The footbridge stays in place for the entire Dry Bridge project, and the city's approved vehicle closure runs 365 days from September 14.
The Dry Bridge closure changes how close Main Street West Lebanon and the Route 12A plazas feel, and that's the kind of local detail we include whenever we talk about value on either side of the tracks. If you live near the footbridge and want to know what your home is worth this year, LIVE UV LIFE can put together a free home valuation based on what's actually happening in West Lebanon right now.
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