Poland Covered Bridge (Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge)

Poland Covered Bridge (Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge) - Cambridge Junction, Vermont

Also known as the Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge, the Poland Covered Bridge spans over the Lamoille River in Cambridge Junction, Vermont, just east of Jeffersonville. One of 14 historic covered bridges that remain within Lamoille County, the 153 foot long Kingpost with Burr arch truss designed covered bridge was built in 1887 by George Washington Holmes in order to improve access to a nearby railroad junction. The bridge is said to have one of the longest clear spans of its type within the United States. The bridge bears the name of Luke P. Poland, a prominent citizen and judge from Waterville, Vermont during the second half of the nineteenth century, who led a lawsuit against the Town of Cambridge that resulted in the construction of the covered bridge.

The Poland Covered Bridge was restored starting in 2001, undergoing a two stage process to restore the it to working order, using funds that were secured from the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Act, which had been authored by Senator James Jeffords of Vermont. Stage One of restoration involved stabilizing and raising the bridge three feet over the Lamoille River. Then, the purpose of Stage Two was to restore the bridge in order to carry light traffic. The bridge rehabilitation began in 2003 and was completed in 2004 by Alpine Construction of Schuylerville, New York.

The bridge had traditionally been open to pedestrians and snowmobiles during winter, and to motor vehicles after the last snow had fallen for the year, carrying traffic one vehicle at a time. Due to the proximity of the covered bridge to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, the bridge does get some traffic and visitors as a result of being next to the rail trail. I went to check out the bridge on a winter's day and had a nice, quiet experience during my visit.

Looking at the bridge portal. Extra barriers are put in place to prevent cars and trucks from using the bridge in winter.

A frozen Lamoille River.

Lamoille River.

The bridge has a clearance of 11 feet, 6 inches.

Side profile of the covered bridge.

Historical marker showing the bridge's history.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
Bridgehunter.com - Poland Bridge 45-08-02
Lamoille Chamber - Lamoille's Covered Bridges
Vermont Covered Bridge Society - Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge
News & Citizen (Stowe, Vermont) - Clashes Over Covered Bridge
Vermont Covered Bridge Society - Poland Covered Bridge Stabilization: 2001

Comments

Morgan Territory Road

Morgan Territory Road is an approximately 14.7-mile-long roadway mostly located in the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County, California. The roadway is named after settler Jerimah Morgan who established a ranch in the Diablo Range in 1857. Morgan Territory Road was one of several facilities constructed during the Gold Rush era to serve the ranch holdings. The East Bay Regional Park District would acquire 930 acres of Morgan Territory in 1975 in an effort to establish a preserve east of Mount Diablo. The preserve has since been expanded to 5,324 acres. The preserve functionally stunts the development along roadway allowing it to remain surprisingly primitive in a major urban area. Part 1; the history of Morgan Territory Road During the period of early period of American Statehood much of the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County was sparsely developed. Jerimah Morgan acquired 2,000 acres of land east of Mount Diablo in 1856 and established a ranch in 1857. Morgan Territory Road is

The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge (Madera County)

The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge is an early era arch concrete structure found alongside modern Madera County Road 200. The structure was modeled as a smaller scale of the 1905 Pollasky Bridge (still in ruins at the San Joaquin River) and was one of many early twentieth century improvements to what was then known as the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road. The 1915-era bridge was replaced with a modernized concrete span during 1947 but was never demolished. The original concrete structure can be still found sitting in the brush north of the 2023 Fine Gold Creek Bridge. Part 1; the history of the 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge lies near the site of the former mining community of Fine Gold. Mining claims were staked at Fine Gold during the Mariposa War during 1850. The community was never very large but became a stopping point on the stage road between the original Fresno County seat at Millerton and Fresno Flats (now Oakhurst). The stage road eventually bypas

San Francisco's Broadway Tunnel

The Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco is a structure at Russian Hill which connects the neighborhood Chinatown to North Beach. The tunnel was included in the 1948 San Francisco Trafficways Plan as a connector between the Central Freeway and Embarcadero Freeway. The structure was completed in December 1952 and spans 1,616 feet through Russian Hill. The Broadway Tunnel was designated as the Robert C. Levy Tunnel in 1986. Part 1; the history of the Broadway Tunnel Following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 San Francisco would see a major population boom. The city would expand from the shores of San Francisco Bay inland towards the many steep hills. The hills of San Francisco would prove to be a major hinderance towards the expansion of city. Roads were generally plotted over the tops of hillsides and had steep grades. Russian Hill in particular was one of the steepest and contained numerous streets with grades in excess of twenty percent. Broadway can be seen cros

Gribblenation

Search This Blog