There's a special place for people who do this

Been through the same experience living on the Chesapeake. To get home I had to cross 2 old bridges: a 2-lane drawbridge over the Bohemia on Rt. 213, and another narrow, short fixed span over a small tributary near Hack's Point that went right through the center of town.

Both were aging and both were replaced with modern, higher, wider bridges. Now you can drive right across the Bohemia River without ever noticing you're crossing water, and the in-town bridge is high enough that you're looking in 2nd-floor windows.

Agreed, traffic flow has improved. But also agreed, something has been lost. I am not stuck in the past and they made crappy things back in the old days, too. But things like covered bridges deserve care and respect, and they certainly don't deserve to die at the hands of some mean-spirited, pissant mouthbreather with a gas can and a lighter.

I know in my area, there are some property owners near covered bridges who can't stand tourists stopping and looking at the bridges, even if they aren't trespassing. Tend to come out of their house yelling and shouting. Wonder if it was a disgruntled local?

Out near the shop in central PA where I spent a number of weeks over the last few years assisting with a project there was an old wood bridge off the small state road that I usually took- it clearly had once been part of a road, but the road had been rerouted and the terrain landscaped such that the creek it went over just went through several large pipes under the road and a bridge wasn't necessary. But the bridge was still kept in place and just allowed to be overgrown and covered in moss and plantlife. I always thought it was very cool that it had been kept around.

In reply to mad_machine:

I'm sorry, but I fail to see the romanticism in a rusty old draw-bridge. I had to cross that bridge on my road bike years ago... it sucked. I think the new bridge is more attractive... clean lines... nice modern pillars with at least a hint of styling. and I see what looks like a walking path. Sweet.

To me that's like lamenting the planned replacement of the I-95 Scudder Falls bridge between PA and NJ. Yes, it has some history as one of the early interstate hwy bridges... but I've been under that bridge... it's effin' scary underneath and long overdue for replacement. I try not to think about it since I cross it twice every day.

In reply to eastsidemav:

It's possible!

From what I remember it was pretty remote out there. On the one side of the river is state land, the other side is pretty much owned by the guy I used to work for.

eastsidemav wrote: I know in my area, there are some property owners near covered bridges who can't stand tourists stopping and looking at the bridges, even if they aren't trespassing. Tend to come out of their house yelling and shouting. Wonder if it was a disgruntled local?

And where did the tradition of honking as one crosses a covered bridge come from? I'd imagine that would get really annoying after the first two or three... hours... especially if you have a line of cars crossing at say... 2 am...

paranoid_android74 wrote: In reply to eastsidemav: It's possible! From what I remember it was pretty remote out there. On the one side of the river is state land, the other side is pretty much owned by the guy I used to work for.

One house is with in 1/8 mile.. otherwise, not much

paranoid_android74 wrote: In reply to eastsidemav: It's possible! From what I remember it was pretty remote out there. On the one side of the river is state land, the other side is pretty much owned by the guy I used to work for.

One house is with in 1/8 mile.. otherwise, not much

Lightning strike?

Not about covered bridges (and I think if that one was really torched the responsible person deserves to be drawn and quartered) but replacing some older bridges is a good idea. There are steel deck bridges in the Charleston area which have an open steel grate. During construction the Highway Department spot welded these little studs to the grate so cars can get traction in rainy or icy weather, but those studs make crossing them on a motorcycle not just terrifying but if you go down extremely painful as well.

This happened in my hometown in the late '80's, to a double-barreled covered bridge that was built in 1829. My father, who owns a surveying and engineering firm, worked closely with county government and helped rebuild the bridge in a safer city park. Here's my uncle towing the structure of the bridge with his steam engine (done only for the cool factor!)

Local farmers donated barn siding from the same time period to ensure it would be restored correctly. My dad's engineering firm donated hundreds of hours of time to design and rebuild the abutments. It is open to traffic a few times a year for special events.

And just last year, my dad helped organize and build a modern covered bridge in Hueston Woods State Park, in SW Ohio. This bridge meets all current bridge standards, but is still built very much like bridges were built almost 200 years ago. If you're ever in southwest Ohio, you should visit this. It's really cool.

This past summer, a worldwide covered bridge conference was held in Dayton, Ohio. They choose Dayton mainly due to the proximity of these two bridges. My father was instrumental in the conference.

http://registerherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=132647

Kramer wrote: And just last year, my dad helped organize and build a modern covered bridge in Hueston Woods State Park, in SW Ohio. This bridge meets all current bridge standards, but is still built very much like bridges were built almost 200 years ago. If you're ever in southwest Ohio, you should visit this. It's really cool. This past summer, a worldwide covered bridge conference was held in Dayton, Ohio. They choose Dayton mainly due to the proximity of these two bridges. My father was instrumental in the conference. http://registerherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=132647

That is really berkeleying cool!

Having made many a bonfire, I know how hard it is to light a big pile of old wood on fire. No way that bridge burned without lots of help! The why just eludes me. Who was the bridge harming?