A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge could last over 100 years. In the United States, only about 1 in 10 survived the 20th century. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect, and the high cost of restoration.
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. There are several types of truss bridges, including some with simple designs that were among the first bridges designed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A truss bridge is economical to construct primarily becauses it uses materials efficiently.
Lawrence Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 824 people in the township.
The McColly Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in western Logan County, Ohio, United States. Located in Washington Township near the community of Bloom Center, it is one of two remaining covered bridges in Logan County. It carries County Road 13 over the Great Miami River, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of its source at Indian Lake.
The Harra Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in Washington County, Ohio, United States. Located in western Watertown Township, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the community of Watertown, the bridge spans the South Branch of Wolf Creek near the intersection of State Route 339 and Township Road 172. Among the bridge's more distinctive features are its cut stone abutments, its metal roof, and the vertical siding. Although it has been open for well over one hundred years, it remains in strong structural condition, and it served daily traffic into the late twentieth century.
The South Salem Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge in northwestern Ross County, Ohio, United States. It was built in the 1870s and has been designated a historic site because of its well-preserved historic engineering. Since its construction, it has carried Lower Twin Road over Buckskin Creek in Buckskin Township. The bridge is a wooden Smith truss bridge, built in 1873 according to a design patented by Ohioan Robert Smith in the late 1860s. Eight wooden panels wide, it rests on stone abutments and is covered with a metal roof.
The Hildreth Covered Bridge, also known as the "Hills Covered Bridge" or "Lafaber's Mill Bridge," is a historic covered bridge in Washington County, Ohio, United States. Located off State Route 26 in Newport Township, about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of the city of Marietta, the bridge historically carried Hills Bridge Road over the Little Muskingum River. Construction of the Hildreth Bridge was a long process: the most significant amount of work was done on the bridge in 1878, but the entire construction process occurred between 1871 and 1881. The identity of its builder is unknown.
The Shinn Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located in the countryside northeast of Bartlett in Washington County, this single-span truss bridge was built in 1886 by local carpenter Charles T. Shinn. Built of weatherboarded walls with stone abutments and a metal roof, the bridge features vertical siding, and its portals have remained vertical and resisted creeping into another shape. The heart of the bridge's structure employs the Burr Truss design, which mixes the king post truss with a wooden arch designed by Andrea Palladio in the sixteenth century. Shinn built his bridge to span the western branch of Wolf Creek in Palmer Township. Measuring 98 feet (30 m) in length, the bridge was constructed soon after the drowning of one of Shinn's children.
The Root Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located off State Route 555 in far northern Decatur Township, Washington County, the bridge was built in 1878 in the Long truss mode of truss bridge construction. Measuring 65 feet (20 m) in its single span, it spans the West Branch of the Little Hocking River.
The Mull Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Built in the middle of the nineteenth century, it is located near Burgoon in Sandusky County. Although it is no longer used to facilitate transportation, the bridge has been preserved and is now a historic site.
The Upper Paris Bridge is a historic structure located near the town of Coggon in rural Linn County, Iowa, United States. The pin-connected Whipple through truss bridge was built in 1879 as a wagon bridge. It was designed by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.
The Ballard Road Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Built in the late nineteenth century and since bypassed, the bridge has been named a historic site.
The Eldean Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge spanning the Great Miami River in Miami County, Ohio north of Troy. Built in 1860, it is one of the nation's finest surviving examples of a Long truss, patented in 1830 by engineer Stephen H. Long. At 224 feet (68 m) in length for its two spans, it is the longest surviving example of its type. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016.
The Broadway Bridge is a historic arch bridge that spans Greenville Creek on the edge of downtown Greenville, a city in the far western part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it carries one of the city's most important streets and connects the city's northern and southern sections. One of several large concrete bridges designed by a Cleveland engineer, it has been named a historic site.
The Bell Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in rural Washington County, Ohio, United States. One of several such bridges in the region built by the same man, it remained open to traffic with the exception of periodic repairs, until it was permanently closed on September 12, 2022, and it has been named a historic site.
The Straight Street Bridge is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Newton Falls Covered Bridge, in Newton Falls, Ohio, was built around 1831. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is also known as the Arlington Boulevard Covered Bridge.
The Roberts Covered Bridge is a Burr Truss covered bridge in Preble County, Ohio near Eaton. It was built in 1829, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
