River Road Covered Bridge, North Troy Vermont

Date added: June 29, 2024

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The River Road Covered Bridge across the Missisquoi River was the only covered wood bridge remaining in the town of Troy. The structure of the bridge displays characteristics that distinguish it from that of other bridges supported by Town lattice trusses in Vermont. Each truss has three chords instead of the usual four, single pegs at the intersections of the lattice planks instead of the usual double, and three exterior timber buttresses where most other bridges have none. Combined with the structural variations, the exterior sheathing of horizontal siding painted red and the steep-pitch gable roof with wide over hangs give the bridge a unique design among the covered bridges in the state.

On February 6^th, 2021 the Bridge was destroyed by fire.

Bridge Description

The River Road Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber Town lattice trusses. Each truss has three chords, lacking the upper intermediate chord used in most other applications of the Town truss to covered bridges. Also, in contrast to the usual use of double pegs at the intersections of the lattice planks, the River Road Bridge has only single pegs. There are three timber buttresses (now mostly rotted) attached to the exterior of each truss, one at each end and at the center. Iron tie-rods extend between both the top chords and the bottom chords to increase the lateral rigidity of the structure. Despite the reinforcement, the superstructure of the bridge leans slightly to the south.

The River Road Bridge is 94 feet long overall and 14.5 feet wide, and has a 12-foot roadway. The wood floor consists of planks laid flat and perpendicular to the trusses, overlaid with two transverse strips of planks for driving surfaces. The structure rests on abutments that have been either faced or rebuilt with concrete.

On the exterior, the heavy planks are pegged together diagonally to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are sheathed with novelty siding hung horizontally and painted red. The siding rises only about two-thirds the height of the walls, leaving the trusses exposed on the upper third of each wall.

The west gable end is also sheathed with novelty siding hung horizontally and painted red; the east gable end is sheathed with clapboards treated in the same manner. The portal openings are rectangular. The steep-pitch gable roof, which has extraordinarily wide overhangs at the eaves, is covered with corrugated metal sheeting.