Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
River Road Bridge
The River Road Bridge was destroyed by fire on February 6, 2021. This page will remain on the web site pending the outcome of discussions being undertaken to determine whether the replacement will be another covered bridge.
Below is a link that may be of interest:
Current Status: Destroyed
Location: Troy, on Veilleux Road
Crosses: Missisquoi River
GPS: 44.956352N, 72.39357W
Built: 1910 Length: 92 feet
Truss Design: Town lattice
WGN*: VT-10-03 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Once the northernmost covered bridge (still extant) in Vermont, the River Road Bridge was located in the Town of Troy. The name is a little bit of a misnomer as it was not actually located on River Road, but located just off of its namesake.
Other names used over the years are the School or Schoolhouse Bridge (because of a school that was located nearby) and the Upper Bridge (because it was located upstream of another covered bridge that no longer exists).
One of the "newer" covered bridges in Vermont, it was actually built in the 20th century (but is still over 100 years old). The Town lattice trusses on this bridge were unique, and begs the question of whether the builder purposely strayed from the typical design, or was just perhaps winging it. The planks used were smaller, but in compensation, they were spaced closer together than typical lattices. The chords (of which there are only 3, rather than 4) usually sandwich the lattice members, but in this case the chord members were only on one side of the lattice, but they were twice as thick. Finally, the height of the trusses was lower than as is typical, so lateral braces could not be used (they would be too low to allow for passage of loaded hay wagons). Instead, large buttresses were built on the outside of the bridge to provide lateral support.
The siding on this bridge was also atypical in that it ran horizontally, and did not cover the trusses completely. However, the roof was wide and overhung the sides quite a bit, keeping the rain off the exposed portions of the truss.
In most cases that I have come across, covered bridges typically are built fairly level, but the River Road Bridge noticeably rans "downhill". The eastern end was higher than the western which seemed to be allowing rain water to carry mud into the bridge. When I visited, there was quite a bit of still-moist sand in the bridge, which could be promoting rot of the wood.
Visiting the bridge:
First of all, unless you have written down fairly precise directions, or are using a GPS device, you may have trouble finding the former site of the bridge due to the fact that the Town of Troy either can't afford, or can't be bothered with, street signs. At least in the vicinity of the bridge. All roads leading to the site are dirt, but in pretty good condition. If you are on a motorcycle, your best bet is to come in from Route 101 as that is the least amount of dirt you will have to travel at just under 1.5 miles.
There is a parking area one the west side of the site that can easily accommodate two vehicles.
Also, you might want to temporarily place your cell phone in "airplane mode". You are close enough to the Canadian border than your provider might think you are roaming. I got a message to that effect on my phone while I was there.