Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
Village Bridge
When covered bridges are named, they tend to take on the name of a nearby landowner or maybe an industry is it near, such as a mill. In addition, the name "Village" is a popular one. There are a few bridges in Vermont that have "village" in their name, or are otherwise known as "the village bridge". But, the Village Bridge in Waterville is the only one that has that appellation as its "official" name. Not surprisingly, this bridge is located right in the village.
And like many covered bridges, the Village Bridge is sometimes known by other names: Church Street Bridge for the road it's on, the Meat Market Bridge presumably for a local business, and the Lower Bridge because it is the furthest downstream of the three bridges in town.
Current Status: Open
Location: Waterville, on Church Street
Crosses: North Branch of the Lamoille River
GPS: 44.690102N, 72.770965W
Built: 1877 Length: 61 feet
Truss Design: Queenpost
WGN*: VT-08-13 NRHP**: Yes
* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Although the builder is unknown, the queenpost design is shared by the two other remaining bridges in Waterville and the two remaining in neighboring Belvidere. Stylistically, they are also very similar suggesting that they could have been built by the same person or persons.
Village Bridge has met with some brushes in the past. In 1970 a house fire adjacent to the bridge threatened to ignite it, but fire fighters hosed it down to prevent it from catching. Around that same time the rear wheels of a truck broke through the floor. The deck was reinforced with steel beams, and the floor system was also disconnected from the trusses at the same time. Not only this, but additional steel reinforcements extend out and under the trusses, so that the trusses are no longer bearing the entire load of the covering. To some, this may seem to remove the authenticity of the bridge, which technically it does. But worse alterations to traditional covered bridges have been carried out, and at least this one still retains its charm while continuing to serve modern traffic loads.
In 1999 some of the roof supports were broken out by an oversize truck forcing the closure of the bridge. It was repaired and re-opened the next year. The Internet is a wonderful thing, and the Google Street View car captured some kind of repair work going on at the bridge in May of 2012, but I can find nothing about it. I'm sure there are some kind of town records, but as with a town this small, it doesn't seem to be accessible via the Internet. If someone out there has more information, feel free to comment below.
Visiting the bridge:
As this bridge is in the middle of a village, parking is a little problematic. Church Street is fairly narrow and the eastern side of the bridge has no real space at all to park. It would not be recommended to park on the side of the road out of respect for the residents.
The western side of the bridge opens out into a T-intersection that is somewhat widened but still not ideal for a full-size vehicle. A motorcycle fits real well, though! To the right when exiting the bridge there is a little spot where it looks like most people end up parking, although it still is obstructive of the roadway.
Your best bet if you wish to be the most respectful is to park at the market or the church at the intersection of Route 109 and Church Street and then walk down to the bridge (it's not far).
There's not a whole lot of clearance inside the bridge for pedestrians, but as with quite a few covered bridges in the state, it is not extremely busy.