Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Morgan Bridge
 June 2011 |  June 2011 |
|---|---|
 June 2011 |  June 2011 |
Current Status: Open
Location: Belvidere, on Morgan Bridge Road
Crosses: North Branch of the Lamoille River
GPS: 44.743464N, 72.728026W
Built: 1887 Length: 62 feet
Truss Design: Queenpost
WGN*: VT-08-07 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Located just down the road from the Mill Bridge in Belvidere, is the Morgan Bridge. The bridge is located on a short road that connects Back Road (I just love that name) to Route 109. The name of the bridge stems from the family that owned the property at the north end of the bridge which can be seen in the background of the third photo above. It has also been known as the Upper Bridge, being upstream from the Mill Bridge.
The log cabin in the photo apparently is no longer standing, as the latest satellite imagery from our friends at Google shows a different structure there now.
The bridge seems to have had a pretty boring life, as far as repairs go. There is some vague and poorly documented repair or reconstruction that occurred circa 1898, so it is possible that the current bridge dates from that time. But that still makes it well over 100 years old. An inspection carried out by the state in the 1990's indicated that the bridge was capable (at the time) of handling 9 tons, more than the posted limit. It's currently posted for 5 tons.
The inspection noted that unique construction features not found on other queenpost truss bridges account for its exceptional strength. Each truss employs (by my count) seven metal rods that connect the queenpost braces and top chord to the bottom chord. There are also a couple of braces (along with a rod) in the center portion are not normally found in a queenpost truss.
Visiting the bridge:
As mentioned above, the Morgan Bridge is close to the Mill Bridge. If you plan to visit them both (and why shouldn't you?), you'll be traveling on some soft dirt roadway. If visiting this bridge first, it is down a short paved road from Route 109. The north end of the bridge empties onto Back Road (seen in the background photo). Back Road will take you to the Mill Bridge.
Parking at the Morgan Bridge is a little problematic if you are looking for a designated spot. There really isn't any official parking. But, since Morgan Bridge Road (the short paved one from 109) and Back Road are scarcely traveled, parking on the side of either of them is probably a decent option. Where my bike is parked in the photo, there is a little bit of a wide spot on the north end where the two roads meet, but it really isn't big enough for a car. A motorcycle, on the other hand, fits nicely!
As you can see by the positioning of the running planks on the floor (second photo), there isn't a whole lot of room on the sides of the bridge for pedestrians. Again, since there's little traffic here, you shouldn't have to worry too much about meeting up with vehicles inside the bridge.