Green River Covered Bridge, Green River Village Vermont
- Categories:
- Vermont
- Covered Bridges
- Town Lattice Truss
The Green River Covered Bridge is the visual and architectural focus of an extraordinary well-preserved example of a 19th century Vermont "hill village". Except for an occasional motor vehicle and a few utility wires, the hamlet of Green River with its gravel roads, shade trees, clapboard houses, church, mill pond, and covered bridge has survived unscathed by the mechanical and commercial blight that is plaguing many Vermont villages. The Green River Bridge is an integral part of this unique historic environment.
In addition, the Green River Bridge is one of the most carefully maintained covered bridges in Vermont. Not burdened by heavy vehicular traffic, the bridge should stand for many more decades to represent the quality of wooden bridge building in the latter 19th century.
Vermont's covered bridges are among the state's most cherished and symbolic historic resources. About one hundred bridges still stand in the state, the greatest concentration by area of covered bridges in the country.
Bridge Description
The Green River Covered Bridge is a single span supported by two flanking timber Town lattice trusses. The floor of the bridge has been recently reinforced with two laminated stringers that extend the length of the bridge, parallel to the trusses. Each stringer consists of short timbers tie-bolted together. The abutments are built of stone slabs without mortar and have been overlaid with pads of concrete. The bridge is 105 feet long and 18.5 feet wide, with a 15-foot roadway.
On the exterior, the large planks pegged together diagonally to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are sheathed with flush boards hung vertically. Similar siding protects the ends of the trusses immediately inside the portals. There are short rectangular openings in the siding near the northeast and southwest corners of the bridge to provide better visibility for on-coming traffic. The gable ends of the bridge are sheathed with flush boards hung horizontally and painted red. The roof has been covered with asphalt shingles.
Looking southeast (1973)
