The news out of Vermont is terrible, especially the widespread destruction of at least some part of every major state highway. Wilmington, one of our close neighbors, was completely cut off for a while and a young woman died after getting caught in the current while riding in a car.
The loss of the Bartonsville Covered Bridge in Rockingham has been all over the news. It's particularly sad for me as that was one of my favorite bridges in the state. It was situated on a country road, with an active railroad track right in front of it. The way the bridge was placed over the water, slanted, made it even more picturesque.
It's been impossible to get reliable information on how other covered bridges across the state have fared. The Quechee Bridge, which is not historic or a true covered bridge, was safe. The Eunice Williams Bridge in Greenfield somehow made it even after the entire roadway in front of it and the dam behind it got washed away. I've read one report that said the Kidder Hill Bridge in Grafton (which I just visited last Wednesday) was gone, but I can't confirm it. Considering the severity of Irene it's amazing more bridges weren't lost.
some good news...one of my favorites, the Taftsville Bridge is closed but will be back.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110830/NEWS02/708309942/0/NEWS04
The Quechee Village's covered bridge was severely damaged. (see the various youtube videos to see how & why)
I lived in Quechee in the mid 70s & remember the area well. It will bounce back.
Thanks for the link John; that's great news on the Taftsville Bridge.
ReplyDeleteI don't get too torn up about the Quechee bridge as it's not a true covered bridge, more of a modern reproduction. Still it's been around most of our lifetimes and I hope it can be set right.
My research on covered bridges in Vermont shows that in most cases bridges get repaired or replaced. It may take a while but it eventually happens. There are a few recent exceptions where storms or rot took out some of the lessor known bridges and there aren't any plans to replace them. But with something as significant as the Taftsville Bridge I'm confident it will be repaired (at some point).