Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Montgomery Bridge
 June 2011 |  June 2011 |
|---|---|
 June 2011 |  June 2011 |
Current Status: Open
Location: Waterville, on Montgomery Road
Crosses: North Branch of the Lamoille River
GPS: 44.705696N, 72.760226W
Built: 1887 Length: 70 feet
Truss Design: Queenpost
WGN*: VT-08-14 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Despite its name, Montgomery Bridge is not in the Vermont town of the same name. Located in Waterville, it is one of several bridges in the Waterville/Belvidere area that are stylistically, and structurally, very similar.
Originally called the Potter Bridge for a local resident, it took on both the names Montgomery and Dallas for the owner of the farm the bridge serves. It is also known as the Middle Bridge as it is in between the Upper (Jaynes) Bridge and the Lower (Village) Bridge.
This queenpost bridge has had a troubled past. In 1969 a snowstorm left 5 feet of snow, mostly concentrated on one side of the roof. The load introduced a rack (or lean) to the bridge. Dallas Montgomery himself got up on top of the bridge to clear the snow while local resident Wilmer Locke winched it back into shape. He then reinforced it with additional bracing and iron rods across the inside.
Just two short years later, a truck loaded with asphalt heading to the Montgomery Farm crashed through the floor, landing upside down in the river below (the driver escaped major injury). Due to this incident, the floor was rebuilt as an independent system supported by steel beams. It received new siding, roof supports and knee braces in 1996.
Visiting the bridge:
While yet another bridge on a dirt road, it is located just off Route 109, so travel on dirt is minimal. However, it's easy to miss as travel on the road going past it is fairly fast, and the bridge is surrounded by trees, so if you blink, you miss it.
The east side of the bridge has a small parking area where it is safe to pull off.
The road continues only a short while further before it ends at the farm, so you are essentially on the farm's driveway. Please respect the property. Of course, since it only serves the farm, traffic is very light and exploring the bridge on foot is easy.
Below the bridge, the river spills over some rock formations creating a small falls.