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Lamoille
County, Vermont
(WGN
45-08-02) (WGCB VT-08-02): (1887;
modified (date unknown); rehabilitated 2003-04) A single-span multiple
Kingpost with Burr arch truss 152' 9" over the Lamoille River. Located:
NE of Jeffersonville, Vermont on Poland Bridge Road. Directions:
From jct. SR 108 and SR 15 in Jeffersonville, Vermont, take SR 108 north
0.4 mile and turn right on SR 109 0.8 mile to a spot where a side
road (Poland Bridge Road) on the right angles sharply back. Make
a right turn onto that road (Poland Bridge Road) 0.2 mile to the bridge.
A parking area and a state marker for the bridge is located on the other
side of the bridge near the abandoned railroad right of way. Named
after Luke P. Poland, a Waterville lawyer who brought about the construction
of the bridge. At some point, distribution beams were added under
its deck. It is possibly the longest clear-span of any Kingpost with
Burr arch truss in Vermont and is the second longest single-span covered
bridge in the state. The bridge was temporarily closed in 1993 after
a major structural timber was damaged after being hit by a vehicle.
Complete rehabilitation of the bridge began in 2003 and was completed in
2004. However, work was stopped October 28, 2003 when the Lamoille
River went out of banks and forced the construction crew to move equipment
to high ground. The rains came again on November 18, 2003 causing
the river to rise once more, peaking on November 20, 2003. The waters
rose to within 14" of the center of the steel scaffolding supporting the
bridge). During reconstruction, most of the truss timbers, including
the chords and the roof structure, with the exception of some roof boards,
were salvaged. A new standing-seam steel roof installed to replace
the older corrugated metal one. Natural, vertical, ship-lapped boarding
covers the sides, unique in that the top of the boarding follows the semi-circular
contour of the Burr arch where the arch protrudes above the normal height
of the boarding at the center of the span. Vertical boarding also
covers the portals and it is open under the eaves for ventilation.
The sides have three opposing window openings along each side and the roof
is painted green. On the interior, a timber tire-guard is positioned
about two feet inside each truss providing pedestrian walkways. A
steel-backed timber guardrail extends along the roadway from each side
of the portal. Also known as the Station Covered Bridge, the
Junction
Covered Bridge, the Cambridge Junction Covered Bridge (all after
the nearby railroad depot from which the community of Cambridge Junction
derived its name) and the Kissing Covered Bridge. It was listed
on the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1974. (Sep
2004) |
