The Central Vermont Railroad was chartered on October 21, 1843, to run from Burlington on Lake Champlain to Windsor on the Connecticut River via St. Albans and Montpelier, the state Capital. It was opened to traffic at various times in 1849. It crossed the White River, a tributary of the Connecticut River about four miles north of White River Junction between Woodstock and West Hartford. A major high bridge was built across the river consisting of four spans of 140 feet and a short span of 70 feet, with a total length of approximately 630 feet on a large skew to the river. It was a 26-foot-deep, single track, double Towne lattice deck bridge, made of plank and strengthened by heavy timber arches with the piers and abutments built of granite. It was covered on the sides and top to protect the trussing from the weather. Its top was also covered with iron plates to minimize the chance of fire. From the track to the surface of the ice (water) was 42 feet, with the bottom of the trusses 16 feet from the river’s surface. The bridge was considered by many to be a fine example of bridge design and construction.