Covered bridges in the United States and the preservation program

Abstract

Covered wooden bridges once dotted the landscape of the United States numbering 14,000 at one time as reported in the Federal Highway Administration’s Covered Bridge Manual. Today there are only 500 to 600 covered bridges remaining in the country, having survived hundreds of years largely as result of the roof structure which kept the bridge timbers dry. This paper reports on select number of existing covered bridges and current efforts to preserve and restore these historic structures. It provides an overview of the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation (NHCBP) Program administered by the Federal Highway Administration. This program includes preservation of covered bridges that are listed, or are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It also includes research for better means of restoring and protecting covered bridges, and includes education component to disseminate information as a means of preserving our cultural heritage.

Keywords

Covered bridges, design, construction, wooden bridges, historic bridges, preservation, conservation, restoration, maintenance, repair, National Covered Bridge Program, timber bridges

Citation

Duwadi, Sheila Rimal; Wacker, James P. 2008. Covered bridges in the United States and the preservation program. Proceedings of the 10th world conference on timber engineering: Miyazaki, Japan; 2008 June 2-5. [S.l. : s.n.], 2008: [8] pages.