Skip to main content

Bridgeport Covered Bridge

By


The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is a historic crossing of the South Fork Yuba River located in Nevada County, California near Nevada City.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge opened as a tolled crossing during 1862 as part of the larger Henness Pass Road.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge closed to vehicle traffic during 1972 and was recently restored during 2021.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is historically California's longest covered span is thought to likely be the longest such structure surviving in the world.  Featured as the blog cover is the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1950 when it was an active part of Pleasant Valley Road.  



The history of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge

The history of Bridgeport Covered Bridge was featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works.  Bridgeport Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 over the South Fork Yuba River.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge served as part of the Virginia Turnpike Company maintained Henness Pass Road over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The Henness Pass Road had become prominent as a crossing of the Sierra Nevada Mountains following the discovery of the Comstock Lode during 1859.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is noted to be similar to a like structure built by Theodore Burr over the Hudson River in 1804.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is noted to be the longest covered bridge in California and the United States at 225 feet in length.  As depicted in the article the Bridgeport Covered Bridge was then an active part of Pleasant Valley Road.  




The Virginia Turnpike Company stopped collecting tolls at the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1880.  The rationale for the Virginia Turnpike Company relinquishing their toll franchise rights likely was due to the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad and Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Wagon Road replacing the Henness Pass Road as the primary route over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge can be seen located in Nevada County along the Henness Pass Road on the 1882 Bancroft's Map of California.  


Bridgeport Covered Bridge was closed to vehicle traffic in 1972.  The October 19, 2011, appealdemocrat news reported the Bridgeport Covered Bridge was closing to pedestrian access on October 21, 2011, due to structural issues.  Repair estimates in the article were noted to cost approximately $20,000.



The June 27, 2014, Sacramento Bee announced funding to restore the Bridgeport Covered Bridge was allocated in the state budget on June 20, 2014.  Restoration would be completed during November 2021 and the span reopened to pedestrian traffic.  



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

By
  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...
Post a Comment
Read more