Cooley Covered Bridge, Pittsford Vermont
- Categories:
- Vermont
- Covered Bridges
- Town Lattice Truss
One of four covered wood bridges remaining in the town of Pittsford, the Cooley Bridge was built in 1849 by Nicholas M. Powers. Powers, who was born on a farm in the vicinity of the bridge, became "Vermont's most famous covered bridge builder." The Cooley Bridge is one of three bridges surviving in Vermont whose construction Powers is known to have assisted or directed. The extreme overhang of its portals, which makes the roof 16 feet longer than the 50-foot floor, gives the bridge a distinctive form.
The covered bridges of Vermont are among its 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 Cooley Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported by two flanking timber Town lattice trusses. Some of the original lattice planks have been subsequently doubled, especially in the north truss. Two laminated stringers have been tie-bolted to the underside of the floor beams parallel to the trusses to reinforce the structure; each stringer comprises a number of shorter timbers that have been tie-bolted together. Iron sway braces have been added to the underside of the bridge, extending diagonally between the bottom chords. The abutments, originally built of slabs of rock, have been rebuilt or faced massively with concrete.
The Cooley Bridge measures 50.5 feet along the bottom of the trusses. The upper ends of the trusses extend outward so that the gable ends overhang the roadway eight feet at each portal. The bridge is 18.5 feet wide, with a 15-foot roadway. The wood floor begins 5.5 feet inside each portal.
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 no intentional openings in the side walls. The gable ends are also sheathed with flush vertical boards. The exterior siding is painted red. The gable roof is covered with slate shingles.
View of bridge looking east (1973)
