Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Pulp Mill Bridge
Current Status: Open
Location: between Middlebury (on Seymour Street) and Weybridge (on Pulp Mill Bridge Road)
Crosses: Otter Creek
GPS: 44.024638N, 73.177421W
Built: 1853 Length: 199 feet
Truss Design: Multiple kingpost with Burr Arch
WGN*: VT-01-04 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
A true rarity, the Pulp Mill Bridge (also known as the Paper Mill Bridge) is one of only two "double-barreled" covered bridges left in Vermont... and the only one open to regular traffic. The other one is the Shelburne Museum Bridge.
Sources I have consulted claim that only six two-lane covered bridges still exist in the country, but I believe those sources predate Tropical Storm Irene which was responsible for the flooding that destroyed a grand 2-lane bridge in North Blenheim, New York. Thus, that leaves only 5 now.
A sign that used to be on the portals at each end claimed the build date to be "1808-1820" and for a long time (and possibly still, depending who you ask) this bridge was considered the oldest in the state. However, there is strong evidence that a covered bridge may have existed at the site at that time, but that the bridge currently standing was built in 1853-1854, replacing the earlier one. Thus, the distinction of oldest covered bridge in Vermont needs to now be given to the Great Eddy Bridge in Waitsfield (1833). When the bridge was renovated in 2012, new signs were installed, proclaiming the build date to be 1853.
Most of the time, repairs to covered bridges are due to normal wear and tear, rot and storm damage. But ever since the Pulp Mill Bridge was built, it was destined to almost-constant maintenance. It apparently was not built correctly, causing damage to the truss members. It was originally built as a single-span multiple kingpost bridge with a Burr arches attached to the outer trusses. At some point, the plank arches were replaced with laminated arches. In 1859-1860, two more arches were added to either side of the center truss to help support the load. The arches didn't help and sometime in the late 1800's two stone piers were built in the creek to shore up the bridge.
In 1979 the two stone piers were removed and replaced with concrete piers with wooden cribbing. From what I can tell, it was at this time that the bridge was subdivided into three spans instead of the one. In 2002 work was done on a limited budget to try to fix at least the center truss, but it seems the money was not worth it as the repair was only a stop-gap and not really what the bridge needed. The contractor who performed the work admitted that a more complete restoration was needed.
Finally, it was decided that major work was in order. Funds were secured from the federal government by former senator Jim Jeffords. In 2012, the bridge was shut down for almost the entire year for a major restoration - $2 million dollars worth of restoration - emphasizing the importance of this bridge to the communities of Middlebury and Weybridge.
The center truss arches, which at one time were thought to be a useless addition only contributing to the dead weight of the bridge, now have taken on greater prominence. With the repairs, these arches, which rise much higher than the outer arches, are now doing what they were intended to. Unfortunately, due to the almost constant traffic on this bridge (somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 cars per day), a close inspection of the trusses is not possible. From what I can tell, it appears that the bridge is once again a continuous span, but still supported by piers. The bridge has improved electrical lighting inside and it has been equipped with a fire alarm system.
Visiting the bridge:
This bridge is extremely busy (hence the importance of restoring it). Prior to the restoration, use of the bridge was restricted to one vehicle per lane at one time. But the restriction has been lifted after the restoration. All of the roads leading to the bridge are paved, and the approaches received new pavement as part of the 2012 restoration.
There is no parking directly adjacent to the bridge. I was only able to park my motorcycle where I did because it doesn't take up much room on the side of the road! On the Middlebury side of the bridge, on Seymour Street Ext, there is some sort of storage building that shares a parking area with the home on the corner. I'm not sure that this is a good choice.
A better bet is to cross to Weybridge and bear right. Shortly thereafter will be a small pull-off to a locked gate. From here you can walk back along the road to the bridge. If this small parking area is full, continue down the road just a little bit further to another parking area that is more substantial.
In additional to visiting the bridge, from the gate you can walk down to a small picnic area and informational sign. A path continues to the river bank where a nice view of the power generation dam and bridge can be had (although vegetation prevents seeing the entire bridge at once). At one time, when the water was low enough, it was possible to walk out on the top of the dams (there are two here) and get a nice view of the bridge. But under an agreement, Green Mountain Power now allows a constant flow of water over the dam for aesthetic purposes.
You definitely do not want to attempt crossing the bridge on foot. First of all, you don't need to since there is a pedestrian walkway that was added in 1990. But more importantly, the traveled lanes of this bridge are very narrow. If you have one of those full-size pickups with wide mirrors, you may have to pull them in so that they don't hit the arches. The only refuge if you happen to be in the bridge when a car is coming is between the two lanes which requires careful footwork and ducking under diagonal supports - a dangerous proposition.