Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Burrington Bridge
Current Status: Closed
Location: Lyndon, on Burrington Bridge Road
Crosses: East Branch of the Passumpsic River
GPS: 44.553508N, 71.969448W
Built: 1865 Length: 71 feet
Truss Design: Queenpost
WGN*: VT-03-07 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
The Burrington Bridge is located within the town of Lyndon, between Lyndonville and East Burke. It has been known as several other names, but I don't know the reason behind any of them. Sawmill Bridge: probably because there was a sawmill nearby. Lang Bridge and Randall Bridge: adjacent landowners?
Randall, which is the name physically adorning the bridge, seems to be the more popular name for the bridge, but it is listed in the National Registry as Burrington. And the source of that name? I can only guess that it was for another property owner, or maybe there used to be a hamlet there named Burrington?
Whatever the name, the etymology of it may be moot as the bridge seems to be in dire need of restoration. It was bypassed by moving the road onto a new concrete and steel bridge in 1965. And probably since then, fixing the bridge hasn't made it to the top of the priority list of town business. The abutments received work fairly recently, but that didn't help the structure, which has developed a pronounced sag. Since the bypass, it had been in use as a pedestrian and snowmobile bridge (notice the special runners laid in the bridge in the second photo of the slideshow above). However, in 2006 it was posted as off limits to all traffic by the town.
In consulting the Federal Highway Administration's Covered Bridge Manual, the author states that a typical queenpost truss is useful for spans of up to about 60 feet. Any longer than that, and the bottom chord cannot be one solid length, and must be made of multiple pieces of timber spliced together. The Burrington Bridge is 71 feet long, and while not the longest in the state (Flint Bridge is almost 88 feet long), it is pushing it for the effectiveness of a queenpost truss. Perhaps the bottom chord splices were not joined well? I observed that some of the truss members have some serious splits, most likely weakening them severely. They also appear to be smaller than the truss members of other queenpost bridges I've seen. I heeded the posted sign (for my own safety and that of the bridge) and did not enter it to inspect closer. I have not run across any news blurbs about definite plans for restoration of the bridge, but with the current climate of historic bridge restoration, it seems certain to happen eventually. Hopefully before the bridge collapses under its own weight.
Visiting the bridge:
A special note to motorcyclists: Burrington Bridge Road is hard-packed dirt and gravel, but you only have to travel about 300 feet of it. There is no formal parking at the site. Where you see my bike in the picture is private property, so I made sure not to park on the grass. I don't recall any car coming down the road during my whole visit, so parking on the road should not be a problem, especially with a motorcycle.
If visiting by car, you could possibly park in the driveway of what appears to be a sand pit business across the road, but again, this is private property, so use it at your own risk.
As mentioned before, the bridge has been closed to all traffic, including pedestrian, so please do not attempt to cross it - even on foot.