Burrington Covered Bridge, Lyndon Vermont
The Burrington covered bridge is one of five covered wood bridges remaining in the town of Lyndon. In 1965, a new bridge better suited to current traffic was built immediately upstream of the Burrington bridge, which then was closed to vehicles. The Town of Lyndon plans to maintain the bridge, however, in recognition of its historic and architectural value.
The Burrington bridge displays marked architectural similarity to the four other bridges in Lyndon and a bridge in the adjoining town of Danville. Generally, the bridges have open upper walls, extended eaves, projecting gable ends, and portals framed either with diagonal upper corners or arches, each complemented by similar forms under the eaves. These characteristics identify the most distinctive regional design among the covered bridges in Vermont.
About one hundred covered bridges still stand in the state, the greatest concentration by area of covered bridges in the country.
Bridge Description
The Burrington covered bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber queen-post trusses. The trusses incorporate iron suspension rods that extend from upper apexes of the diagonal braces to the bottom chords. The structure rests on abutments that have been either faced or rebuilt with concrete.
The Burrington bridge is 68 feet long at floor level. The gable ends project five feet beyond the floor at each portal. The bridge is 15 feet wide and has a 12.5-foot roadway. The wood floor consists of planks laid on edge and parallel to the trusses.
On the exterior, the heavy timbers bolted together to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are partly sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The boards reach only about half the height of the side walls; the upper halves are open, revealing the structural members.
The gable ends are sheathed with flush boards hung vertically and painted red. The portal openings are rectangular except for diagonal upper corners. The sheathing flares outward from the portal openings to the eaves. The medium-pitch gable roof is covered with corrugated metal sheeting. There are extra-ordinarily wide overhangs at the eaves to protect the exposed trusswork below.
West elevation and north portal (1973)
