Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Depot Bridge
Current Status: Open
Location: Pittsford, on Depot Hill Road
Crosses: Otter Creek
GPS: 43.709485N, 73.042714W
Built: 1853 Length: 122.5 feet
Truss Design: Town lattice
WGN*: VT-11-06 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Depot Bridge is located in a wide-open area surrounded by fields which are bisected by Otter Creek. Also known as the Florence Station Bridge, it was named for a train station (or depot) that was built nearby. (Florence is a nearby hamlet within the town of Pittsford). Its construction pre-dates the station though, which may explain another name that the bridge has been known by: the Big Branch Covered Bridge. As far as I know, the Otter Creek only has one branch, so I'm not sure where that name came from.
Because the bridge stands fairly unprotected from winds, lateral stability has been a problem... especially when the internal braces keep getting damaged by oversize vehicles. In 1974, two steel rails were placed against the bridge on the upstream side. They are anchored to the ground on one end and to the upper chord of the truss on the other. In 1985 steel beams were installed under the floor to help support the demands of modern traffic.
The largest blow to hit the bridge occurred in June of 2005. A dump truck entered the bridge with the dump bed raised up. Needless to say, that didn't bode well. The truck caused severe damage to the roof coming to rest about 20 feet into the bridge. The collision ripped the dump bed off the truck and jammed it vertically between the floor and what was left of the roof at that point. Repairs were made, including the replacement of the slate shingles covering the roof. This is one of only a handful of bridges that still use the heavy material as a roof covering.
You may have noticed that in the last photo in the slideshow above, the siding on the bridge is discolored on the bottom. I took this photo just over a year after Tropical Storm Irene caused major flooding in the state, especially in the southern areas (where Pittsford lies).
The photo on the right shows the Depot Bridge surrounded by an overflowing Otter Creek. Look for it just to the left and below the center of the shot. (Click the photo to see it larger). The discoloring on the siding shows how high the water got during this flooding event. Luckily for this bridge, there was a lot of land for the water to spread out on, instead of concentrating the rushing water directly into the sides of the bridge. Others in the state were not so lucky.
The Depot Bridge surrounded by floodwaters
Lars Gange / Mansfield Heliflight
Visiting the bridge:
Depot Bridge is very easy to get to, and easy to find. Depot Hill Road is paved (actually, newly paved in 2012). There are two pull-offs on either side of the bridge where you can park. The pull-offs are loose gravel, so they may cause a little bit of a problem parking a motorcycle.
While it has been said that this road is fairly busy, I didn't find that to be the case when I visited. At any rate, there are substantial guardrails built into the floor upon which you can hop to get out of the way of any passing vehicle.