Bridgeport Covered Bridge

Bridgeport Covered Bridge
View of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge
Coordinates39°17′33.86″N 121°11′41.66″W / 39.2927389°N 121.1949056°W / 39.2927389; -121.1949056
CarriesPedestrian
CrossesSouth Yuba River
LocaleNevada County, California
Characteristics
DesignHowe truss with auxiliary arch covered bridge[1]
Total length233 feet (71 m)[1]
Longest span208 feet (63 m)[2]
Load limit13 Tons (Current estimate at 3 tons due to age of timbers)
History
DesignerDavid Ingefield Wood[1]
Opened1862[1]
Bridgeport Covered Bridge
Nearest cityFrench Corral, CA
Built1862[2]
Architectural styleHowe truss with an auxiliary Burr Arch Truss[2]
NRHP reference No.71000168
CHISL No.390[3]
Added to NRHPJuly 14, 1971[4]
Location
Map

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is located in Bridgeport, Nevada County, California, southwest of French Corral and north of Lake Wildwood. It is used as a pedestrian crossing over the South Yuba River. The bridge was built in 1862 by David John Wood. Its lumber came from Plum Valley in Sierra County, California.[5] The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1972 and pedestrian traffic in 2011 due to deferred maintenance and "structural problems".[6]

On June 20, 2014, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed budget legislation that included $1.3 million for the bridge's restoration. The work was slated to be done in two phases—near-term stabilization followed by restoration.[7] The bridge reopened to pedestrians in November 2021 following completion of the restoration work.[8]

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge has the longest clear single span of any surviving wooden covered bridge in the world.[1][9]

  1. ^ a b c d e Jackson, Donald C. (1988). Great American Bridges and Dams. Wiley. pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-471-14385-5.
  2. ^ a b c "Bridgeport Covered Bridge". Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CA-41. 1985-01-01.
  3. ^ "Bridgeport Covered Bridge". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  4. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  5. ^ "California Historical Landmarks in Nevada County". noehill.com. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  6. ^ Renda, Matthew (October 19, 2011). "Historic Bridgeport Bridge to close". The Appeal-Democrat. Marysville, CA. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  7. ^ Ochavillo, Vanessa (June 27, 2014). "State budget includes money to restore Bridgeport Covered Bridge". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  8. ^ O'Neil, Rebecca (November 4, 2021). "'A place of connection': State Parks celebrates rehabbed Bridgeport Covered Bridge". The Union. Grass Valley, CA. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  9. ^ The Nevada County, California website Archived September 8, 2012, at archive.today that claims Bridgeport Covered Bridge has a longer span than the Old Blenheim Bridge had, also claims it is a National Historic Landmark. While the National Historic Landmark search system Archived 2008-07-10 at the Wayback Machine does not report on the existence of this bridge as a National Historic Landmark. It is a California Historical Landmark and listed at the National Register of Historic Places.