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35 of America's Best Covered Bridges (new)

With help from leading experts, we selected some of the most noteworthy bridges across the country.
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Bridgeport Bridge

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Bridgeport Bridge is the longest single-span covered bridge in the U.S. and a remarkable example of nineteenth-century timber bridge engineering.
Bridgeport Bridge is the longest single-span covered bridge in the U.S. and a remarkable example of nineteenth-century timber bridge engineering.

Where: French Corral, California
When Built: 1862
Builder: Unknown
Truss: Howe

With a clear span of 209’, this Howe truss bridge with auxiliary arches is the longest covered bridge with only a single span in the United States. (Cornish-Windsor has two spans.) It was erected in 1862 for the Virginia City Turnpike, a major route into the Sierra Mountains during the California Gold Rush, and spans the South Yuba River .

Nevada County purchased the bridge in 1901, which continued to carry traffic until it was bypassed in 1973. In the late 1980s, the State of California purchased the bridge from Nevada County and developed the South Yuba River State Park.

Bridgeport Bridge was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1970 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. This bridge possesses a high degree of integrity and is proposed for National Historic Landmark consideration. However, the span was recently closed due to structural problems and its future is uncertain.

From: The Covered Bridge | Summer 2021, Volume: 27, No: 1

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