CORNWALL, Conn. — A historic covered bridge in the town of West Cornwall will be closed for an unknown amount of time after a trailer struck several wood beams that are part of the bridge’s roof structure.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation said a backhoe being towed early Friday caused the bridge to be “severely damaged.”
CTDOT engineers immediately analyzed the damage and determined that most of the upper truss lateral bracing has been damaged and that every cross brace was snapped. It will be closed and detours will be in place until further notice, the department said.
The West Cornwall Covered Bridge is located near the intersection of Route 128 and Route 7 and goes over the Housatonic River.
Measuring 172 feet long and 15 feet wide, the bridge is one of the last covered bridges in Connecticut. According to the town’s website, records show that there were several attempts to construct a bridge in that area as far back as 1762, but floods and more prevented its construction.
The current structure is believed to have been built in 1864 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The covered bridge is made of red spruce and held together with treenails – or wooden pegs that are wedged into place.
According to Connecticut History, this is not the first time the bridge has been damaged or closed.
In the 1920s, it was closed to pedestrian traffic due in part to safety concerns and in 1945, a 20-ton oil truck fell through the bridge floor. In 1968, the state considered replacing the 100-year-old structure, but a group of local activists committed to saving it stepped in.
In 1973, the Connecticut Department of Transportation inserted a steel support deck, which saved the bridge and won the state an award from the Federal Highway Administration for an outstanding example of historic preservation.
Last year, an excavator being towed through the bridge struck the top, causing significant but non-structural damage.
It was not clear from the state police’s social media post when this most recent incident took place. No injuries were reported.
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