Covered Bridges on Two Wheels
A photographic journey to Vermont's Covered Bridges
West Dummerston Bridge
 September 2015 |  September 2015 |
|---|---|
 September 2015 |  September 2015 |
Current Status: Open
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Location: Dummerston, on East West Road
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Crosses: West River
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GPS: 42.936592N, 72.613087W
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Built: 1998 Length: 280 feet
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Truss Design: Town lattice
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WGN*: VT-13-02 #2 NRHP**: not eligible
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* WGN: World Guide to Covered Bridges Number
**NRHP: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
While all Vermont covered bridges are popular for the power they have to evoke a simpler time, some stand out more than others. The West Dummerston Bridge stands out due to it being the longest wooden bridge still in vehicular use within the state. And as such, you will often see this bridge represented as a poster child for Vermont tourism. With good reason.
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This bridge was built in 1872, along with others in this area, following the freshet of 1869. The builder, Caleb Lamson, remarkably was only 22 years old. A construction accident nearly claimed his life (and permanently injured his back) during the building of this bridge.
The West Dummerston Bridge served the town quite well until it eventually fell into disrepair. Emergency stabilization was conducted in the mid-1990s and an overhaul was completed in 1998. Due to deterioration, most chord beams were replaced with modern glue-laminated (glu-lam) beams as well as the floor decking. An estimated 85 percent of the Town lattice truss members also needed to be replaced. Therefore, this bridge can not be considered the same bridge that was originally built and it is technically a replacement bridge. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most outstanding covered bridges in the state.
Visiting the bridge:
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Access to a covered bridge doesn't get much easier than this. Located just off well-traveled Route 30, there is a large(ish) commuter park-and-ride lot situated here. This offers plenty of safe parking.
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The bridge, while long, is also fairly wide for a covered bridge, so much so that guardrails on the floor create walking paths on either side. So crossing on foot is possible, even with traffic.
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There is a road that turns off from Route 30 just south of the bridge. I'm not sure if it's a driveway, some abandoned road, or what, but it's not on Google maps, so it's probably a private drive. However, you may want to seek out if it's possible to park here briefly as it affords a nice side-view of the bridge.