Skip to main content

Ryot Covered Bridge - Pennsylvania

Image
By

 


The 86 foot long Ryot Covered Bridge gets its name from the nearby town of Ryot, located in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Spanning over the Dunning Creek, the bridge is designed in the Burr arch-truss style. The original construction of the bridge was approved by grand jury on April 23, 1867, crossing at the Jacob Beckley Fording of the Dunning Creek. The surveyor for the bridge was Samuel Ketterman and the viewers of the bridge's construction were Hirman Davis and William Kirk. With that, the Ryot Covered Bridge first opened to traffic in 1869.

A major restoration of the Ryot Covered Bridge took place in 1995. Unfortunately, just seven years later, in 2002, the bridge was burned down by teenaged arsonists. The Bedford County Commissioners quickly committed to the restoration of the bridge and to an accelerated schedule for its reconstruction. P. Joseph Lehman, Inc., Consulting Engineers was chosen to undertake the bridge's rehabilitation and reconstruction. Due to the restoration that took place in 1995, the new steel beams, reinforced concrete and mortared stone-faced abutments were not damaged by the fire.  Fortunately, some of the timber bottom chords and end arch pieces were able to be salvaged. The bridge was completely torn apart, inspected, the parts numbered, and reassembled with needed repairs and parts. New siding and a deck were also added for the bridge, as that needed to be replaced.

The total project costs for reconstructing the Ryot Covered Bridge cost about $300,000, with a small portion having been recouped from the people who set the fire. The bridge reopened to traffic in 2004. Like all of the restored covered bridges in Bedford County, this bridge is painted white with red trim and features a marker with its history. Unfortunately, as a result of the rebuilding of the bridge, the Ryot Covered Bridge was removed from the National Register of Historic Places because there was not enough of the original bridge remaining when it was rebuilt, thus at this time it was deemed as having no historic significance.



Side profile of the Ryot Covered Bridge

You can drive across the bridge, as long as you meet height and weight requirements.


Historical plaque.



How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Bridgehunter.com - Ryot Covered Bridge 38-05-17
P. Joseph Lehman, Inc. Consulting Engineers - Ryot Covered Bridge
Delco Daily Times - Top 10 for Thursday: Top 10 Bridges of Bedford County
The Pennsylvania Rambler - Knisley and Ryot Covered Bridges


Update Log:
November 24, 2021 - Crossposted to Quintessential Pennsylvania (https://quintessentialpa.blogspot.com/2021/11/ryot-covered-bridge.html)
Labels:
Location: Ryot Covered Bridge, 430 Dunnings Creek Rd, New Paris, PA 15554, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. 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 Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more