Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Power House Bridge
The Power House Bridge is located on School Street in Johnson, and is the second covered bridge on this site. The original bridge was constructed in 1870 to extend School Street out over the Gihon River, and it was then known as the School Street Bridge. It has also been known as the Johnson Bridge (for the town it's in, of course). It got its present name when a power plant was built in the 1890s just upstream of the bridge. The power house still stands, although no longer in use.
In 1974, the original bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but since then, it has been replaced and no longer qualifies for that distinction.
Current Status: Open
Location: Johnson, on School Street
Crosses: Gihon River
GPS: 44.636071N, 72.670406W
Built: 2002 Length: 66.5 feet
Truss Design: Queenpost
WGN*: VT-08-08#2 NRHP**: not eligible
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
The queenpost trusses of this bridge were constructed of huge timbers... much larger than other queenpost bridges in the state. Despite this, the bridge developed a sag and was repaired twice, in 1960 and 1993. The sagging continued and the bridge was closed in 1995 at which time the floor was separated from the trusses, and steel beams placed under the deck, making the floor self-supporting.
When covered bridges were first built in Vermont, the roofs were covered with either wooden shingles or slate (slate was more prevalent in the southern parts of the state where slate quarries are located). A large number of bridges have had those roofs replaced with ribbed steel sheets which shed snow much more easily than wood or slate. In 2001, the Power House Bridge still had a wooden shingle roof.
Because the many bridges in the state with metal roofs shed snow loads easily, the practice of removing snow from covered bridges died out. This led to disaster on March 8, 2001 when a heavy snow load, which hadn't been removed, proved to be too much for the bridge. The roof collapsed straight down forcing the trusses out and into the river below. The floor remained intact because it had previously been made self-supporting. The town considered installing guardrails on the remaining deck so that the bridge could be reopened, but the cost to do so was prohibitive, considering it had already been decided that the covered bridge would be rebuilt.
The trusses and roof were a loss, and the bridge had to be rebuilt from new. A comprehensive story of the collapse and rebuild can be found on the Vermont Covered Bridges Society's web site. When it was rebuilt, the separation of the floor that occurred in 1995 was maintained. The trusses only support the dead load of the roof. While no longer technically an authentic covered bridge, it carries on a reminder of history while serving a modern world.
Visiting the bridge:
Johnson, while still small, is a popular tourist stop, thanks in part to the famous Johnson Woolen Mills store. Route 100C, which runs right by the bridge, is one of the more popular ways to head up into the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Therefore, this bridge (with the power house visible out of its upstream windows) is oft-visited. To accommodate visitors, there is parking on either side of the bridge, however the area on the east side is much larger and safer to use. The parking on the west side (where my motorcycle is) can only handle one vehicle safely.
All roads leading to the bridge are paved, so motorcyclists will also find this one easy to visit. The bridge tends to be busy as it leads from 100C into town the "back way", so a lot of locals use it. However, there are guardrails on the floor inside the bridge which form small walkways on both sides, so crossing on foot, while not completely safe, is more so than most covered bridges.