Jaynes Covered Bridge, Waterville Vermont
The Jaynes Covered Bridge together with two other covered wood bridges in the town of Waterville and two bridges of the same type in the adjoining town of Belvidere cross the North Branch of the Lamoille River within a distance of about five miles, comprising one of the most concentrated groups of covered bridges in Vermont. The five bridges are important and distinctive elements of the historic environment of the Lamoille River valley.
The covered bridges of Vermont are among its most cherished and symbolic historic resources. About one hundred of the bridges still stand in the state, the highest concentration by area of covered bridges in the United States.
Bridge Description
The Jaynes Covered Bridge consists of a single span supported originally by two flanking timber queenpost trusses. The trusses incorporate iron suspension rods which extend from the upper apexes of the diagonal braces to the bottom chords. Lateral iron rods connect the upper ends of the vertical posts at the top beams.
In 1960 the timber deck structure was replaced with four longitudinal steel beams. The timber trusses now carry only the superstructure of the bridge. The wood floor, which consists of planks placed on edge and perpendicular to the trusses, has been laid directly on the steel deck beams. Also, triangular steel plates have been added to the lower corners of the trusses to reinforce the joints between the diagonal members and the bottom chords.
The Jaynes Bridge is 56.5 feet long at floor level. The ends of the side walls flare outward to meet the gable ends, which overhang the floor three feet at each portal. The bridge is 15 feet wide and has a 12-foot roadway. The structure rests on abutments built originally of irregular stone laid dry.
The north abutment has been capped and partly faced with concrete; the south abutment has been mostly faced with concrete.
On the exterior, the timbers pegged and bolted together to form the trusses (and side walls) of the bridge are sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The siding stops short of the eaves to leave strip openings along the tops of the walls.
The gable ends are also sheathed with unpainted flush boards hung vertically. The boards curve outward beyond the line of the side walls to form half-arches under the eaves. The medium; pitch gable roof, which is flush with the gable ends, is covered with corrugated metal sheeting.
West elevation (1974)
