The loss of a covered bridge...

[Jedz123]

So I'm truly blessed for I live in some of the most beautiful riding in the country. Unfortunately my scenic commute went up in smoke the other day. Pretty wrenching for it was part of my therapeutic commute home.

Swamp Road bridge, erected in 1865 went up in flames due to an unknown source. Vandalism/Arson has been ruled out. It appears it was a fluke accident. It went up Sunday 9-11-16 around 3PM in the afternoon.

It was a great commute and I have some great images next to this bridge...

Lurch with the bridge:

I know others too loved riding through it.. I personally will be signing the petition to rebuild the bridge. A replacement non-permanent bridge will be put in to allow traffic to flow again from Salisbury to Cornwall...

So FYI Swamp road off Route 30 and 3 Mile Bridge in Salisbury dead ends with Otter Creek... Until a new bridge is put back in...

 

[Vmass]

I saw a quick blip about this on the news. I am curious as to how they ruled out vandalism. Was there power in the structure?

The covered bridge is a very cool aspect of traveling the NH roads. I have been through several, not sure if this was one of them.

 

[Jedz123]

This one was in Vermont. It was located on the Salisbury and Cornwall line on Otter Creek.

They believe a vehicle passing through may have inadvertently sparked the structure. There was no forensic evidence of an accelerant used.

 

[Steve]

When I was in the area about 5 years ago, I went down Route 30 right next to it.
Had I known it was there, I would have stopped. I have a fascination for covered bridges.

.

 

[Jethro]

That sucks. Covered bridges are cool.

 

[lurch12_2000]

So I'm truly blessed for I live in some of the most beautiful riding in the country. Unfortunately my scenic commute went up in smoke the other day. Pretty wrenching for it was part of my therapeutic commute home.

Swamp Road bridge, erected in 1865 went up in flames due to an unknown source. Vandalism/Arson has been ruled out. It appears it was a fluke accident. It went up Sunday 9-11-16 around 3PM in the afternoon.

It was a great commute and I have some great images next to this bridge...



Lurch with the bridge:

I know others too loved riding through it.. I personally will be signing the petition to rebuild the bridge. A replacement non-permanent bridge will be put in to allow traffic to flow again from Salisbury to Cornwall...

So FYI Swamp road off Route 30 and 3 Mile Bridge in Salisbury dead ends with Otter Creek... Until a new bridge is put back in...

I swear it wasn't me. That pic of mine is from weeks ago and my KLR didn't shoot out sparks! Nice back country setting so too bad to see that.

 

[rkroby]

Sorry about your bridge, a lot of history there. I am a fan of covered bridges as well. Here is a picture of the one closest to me. Its now only used for foot traffic.

 

[tatu]

How sad, just curious, why did they cover bridges, do they still do it?

 

[Guest]

It preserved the deck.
They don't usually replace them in Ohio, which has had many burn due to arson.
I love them also. There is one in Mohican State Park but I believe it's been rebuilt.

Edit: news to me.
I just Googled and found there are 167 covered bridges in Ohio. That would make a great ride.

 

[Jedz123]

Yeah stopped by there last night... IT sucks it was my favorite route home (although it was 18 miles out of the way).

It's way too early to tell if they will rebuild or replace with a modern bridge. I hope they do rebuild, it's was a gorgeous iconic bridge. I'm sure many of us local folks will be clamoring for a wooden replacement. I hear many of the main support beams are actually still intact. The lattice supports are totally toast. The design of the roof and how the cross breeze blew through caused the fire to get exceptionally hot fast...

There is about 100 covered bridges in Vermont... I should try to see most of them. The ones close to me are still in derivable/usable condition.

 

[tiger cub]

It's a shame when old covered bridge leaves us. Old covered bridges are a tribute to the ingenuity of the local people that built them. Considering that many of the remaining covered bridges were built back in the 1800?s when heavy equipment of todays standards was nonexistent is astonishing because many historical covered bridges are 100+ feet long.

If the lattice of the bridge is destroyed as previously mentioned it will most likely not be repaired because most of the support comes from the lattice work. Usually when a wooden covered bridge is damaged and it is decided to replace it with a new covered bridge it will be design to resemble the old structure with modern structural design incorporated.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Covered bridges are the best; here are some in Western Ohio