Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Columbia Bridge
Current Status: Open
Location: Columbia, NH and Lemington, VT
on Columbia Bridge Road
Crosses: Connecticut River
GPS: 44.853152N, 71.551689W
Built: 1912 Length: 145.5 feet
Truss Design: Howe
WGN*: NH-04-07, VT-05-02 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Columbia Bridge is tucked way up in the northeast corner of Vermont and crosses the Connecticut River into New Hampshire. Because the line that divides the two states is defined as the western shore of the river, the bridge is technically in New Hampshire except for the little bit that touches Vermont soil. At this point the Connecticut River is fairly narrow, compared to further downstream crossings where two more covered bridges still exist.
Columbia Bridge (which apparently has not been known by any other name) was built in 1912, relatively recently for a historic covered bridge. There were at least two other bridges on this site previously, but it is unsure whether they were covered.
This bridge replaced one that was destroyed by fire in 1911 and employs a Howe truss, which is uncommon in both Vermont and New Hampshire. Only 5 Howe truss bridges exist in Vermont, 2 of those shared with New Hampshire. Only 4 Howe truss bridges are left in New Hampshire, 2 of them shared with Vermont. One of the surviving NH Howe truss covered bridges is a railroad bridge that used to exist in Vermont, before it was moved to New Hampshire.
A unique feature of the Columbia Bridge is the siding. On the downstream side, it is completely covered for weather protection, but on the upstream side it is only covered half-way to let in light. It received a complete rehabilitation by the State of New Hampshire in 1981.
Visiting the bridge:
The New Hampshire side of the bridge has a small dirt parking area, but the Vermont side doesn't afford much for safe parking. The road on both sides is paved.
When I visited, traffic was light... at least across the bridge. From the parking area you can hear a lot of traffic going by on NH Route 3 just a short way from the bridge.