Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Center Bridge
Current Status: Pedestrian only
Location: Lyndon, off Main Street
Crosses: East Branch of the Passumpsic River
GPS: 44.544117N, 72.00087W
Built: 1867 Length: 118.5 feet
Truss Design: Paddleford
WGN*: VT-03-05 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
The Centre Bridge (yes, that is the correct spelling) is located in Lyndonville behind the Lynburke Motel. It was originally located on Center Street just a little south of its present location, over the same river, on the property of farm owner Benjamin Sanborn (a sign on the portals identifies the bridge as the Sanborn Bridge).
It has also been known as the Lyndonville Bridge for its location and the Passumpsic Bridge for the river it crosses. Of course, its name has also been spelled "Center" but, it is officially listed in the National Registry as "Centre".
This is one of only three bridges left in Vermont that was built with a Paddleford truss. Top and bottom chords connect vertical kingposts as in other kingpost-type trusses, but the arrangement of the bracing is more complex.
Paul Pierce writes in the Federal government's Covered Bridge Manual that the construction of a Paddleford truss required craftsmen of exceptional skill to fit the truss members properly. That would probably explain why there weren't many built. A bridge could have been built much more easily using other trusses such as a Town lattice. This bridge has probably the most ornate portals and substantial roof systems of any other bridge in the state, so it may be safe to say that it was built more to show off the skills of the builder than for practical considerations.
Even though privately owned, it had remained open to pedestrian traffic. In August of 2013 however, it was closed entirely due to structural failure. The state of disrepair of the bridge was evident when I visited, but the damage had worsened since then. Looking at the third photo in the slideshow above, there is a pronounced sag which just happens to be where a cross brace is broken (right in the middle of the second "X" from the right). Also notice the first kingpost from the right has been spliced together from two pieces of timber... not an ideal condition.
The Centre Bridge being moved in 1960
Richard Donovan / Trish Kane Collection
Courtesy of lostbridges.com
The structural failure that occurred was directly above and below the spot where I noticed the sag on my visit in 2011. The bottom chord broke, also triggering a failure in the top chord above it.
A volunteer effort was put into place to stabilize the bridge by creating an island of stone in the stream bed upon which cribbing and hydraulic jacks were placed. The bridge was jacked up at the break in the truss to keep it from falling further. However, the permits that allowed the island to be built also stipulated that it had to be removed by that winter.
Subsequently, emergency repairs were performed on timbers that had failed, and the cribbing removed from the river. The cribbing now stands stacked inside the bridge.
It probably was not helping matters any that a substantially sized building was erected on the bridge. It had housed various businesses through the years, which accounts for the power lines running to the bridge and the smoke stack poking through the roof (the building at one time had a heater). When I visited in 2011, the building inside was gutted and empty save for evidence that homeless people may have been using it. My next visit in 2017 revealed that the building had been mostly dismantled and apparently discarded.
The side walk on the southern side of the bridge was not in great shape on my first visit in 2011, with lots of creaking and groaning. The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) was using the side walk as a snowmobile crossing, but it has been closed off and snowmobile runners laid out on the floor inside the bridge proper.
This is an example of what can happen when a historic bridge is transferred into private hands... it is no longer eligible for federal or state funding to maintain it. The bridge was scheduled for removal and demolition in 1960 when the owner of the Lynburke Motel at the time asked for it to be moved from its original site to the motel grounds, and thus it was transferred into private hands. I would hope that nothing like this would happen today, unless it could be shown that the new owner had the means (and willingness) to maintain it.
Private Bridge's Failure Poses Problem, Portland Press Herald (AP), Aug. 11 2013
Sanborn Covered Bridge Collapse Averted, Vermont Covered Bridge Society web site, Aug. 30 2013.
Visiting the bridge:
The bridge was previously part and parcel of the neighboring motel. The motel was sold, but the sellers retained the bridge and the land around it.
There is a short paved driveway leading up to the bridge on the southern side with ample room to park. On the north side of the bridge there is a drive that leads to the back of the motel, but not all the way up to the bridge. It appears to be private parking for the owners of the motel (and maybe delivery access?) so I don't think it would be a good idea to park there.
While it is hopeful that the bridge will be saved, if you plan on visiting, you should do so sooner than later. The bridge appears to be stable for now, but unless renovation is performed, it may eventually be lost.