Travel New England - Taftsville Covered Bridge

The Taftsville Covered Bridge not long after its reopening in 2013 (Doug Kerr)

In September 2013, just over two years after the bridge was severely damaged as a result of Tropical Storm Irene, the Taftsville Covered Bridge reopened to traffic. The two-span 189 foot multiple kingspost truss bridge over the Ottauquechee Rive was built in 1836.

Entrance to the Taftsville Covered Bridge on the north shore of the Ottoauquechee River. (Adam Prince - October 2005)

The bridge consists of two spans - one 89' and the second 100' - making it one of the longest covered bridges in Vermont. It is also one of the state's oldest with only two bridges, Pulp Mill and Great Eddy, being older. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

This view shows how efforts were made to raise and support the bridge over the last 175 years. (Adam Prince - October 2005)

The bridge was built by Salmond Edmunds III, and it appears that the arches used to support both spans of the bridge were added sometime later. Throughout the years, a number of rehabilitation projects have strengthened and even raised the bridge higher above the Ottauqueechee River. The post-Irene repairs, which included a total rebuild of the south span, cost $2.5 million. (1) Since the 2013 reopening, the Taftsville Covered Bridge has survived a number of collisions with large trucks.

Bridge Specs:

Number: 45-14-12
Design: Multiple Kingspost
Length: 189 Feet
Crosses: Ottoauquechee River
Built: 1836

How To Get There:

Sources:

(1) Hongoltz-Hetling, Matt. "Taftsville Bridge Takes Another Hit." Valley News. September 8, 2017.

Comments

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County. The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s. US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935. US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68. As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934. US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County . The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County. D

Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more

This past weekend I was visiting the City of Sacramento for a wedding. That being the case I decided to head out on a morning run through Old Sacramento, Jibboom Street Bridge, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge, and path of US Route 40/US Route 99W towards the California State Capitol. My goal was to retrace the paths of the various highways that once traversed the Old Sacramento area. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page. For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The old highway alignments of Sacramento The City of Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River in Sacramento Valley. Sacramento Valley was discovered by Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808. Moraga referred to the fertile Sacramento Valley akin to a "Blessed Sacrament." By 1839 John Sutter Sr. settled in Mexican held

Old Stage Road in Tulare County and Kern County

Old Stage Road is an approximately 30-mile rural highway comprised of Tulare County Mountain Road 1, Kern County Mountain Road 447 and Tulare County Mountain Road 109. Old Stage originates at Jack Ranch Road near Posey and ends at the outskirts of Porterville at Deer Creek. Old Stage Road notably is comprised of two 19th Century stage routes. From White Mountain Road northwest to Fountain Springs, Old Stage Road overlays Thomas Baker's 1860s era stage road to Linn Valley (now Glennville) and the Kern River Gold Rush Claims. From Fountain Springs to Deer Creek, Old Stage Road is comprised of the 1853 Stockton-Los Angeles Road. Featured as the blog cover is the northward descent on Old Stage Road along Arrastre Creek to the town site of White River. What became White River was settled along a spur of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road as "Dog Town" when gold was discovered nearby. By 1856 the community had been renamed Tailholt. A stage road from Tailholt to Linn Valley w

Gribblenation

Search This Blog