Bridgeport Bridge (Nevada County, California)

[andy3175]

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/19/6083504/nevada-countys-bridgeport-covered.html

Three years ago, California state parks workers in Nevada County made an alarming discovery. The wooden arches of the 152-year-old Bridgeport Bridge — billed as the longest covered single span in the world — were warping dangerously.

The picturesque bridge on the South Yuba River, a relic from the Gold and Silver Rush eras, has since stood unused behind a chain-link fence, a quiet reminder of the financial and management troubles faced by California's state parks system.

Now the quest by local activists to get the bridge repaired may finally succeed, thanks to $40 million in "deferred maintenance"  funds that Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed allocating to the state Department of Parks and Recreation in his latest budget.

Preliminary estimates by the parks department indicate it will cost $1.1 million to fully restore and reopen the Bridgeport Bridge. The department has qualified for a federal grant for half of that amount, but has yet to come up with the rest.

That the 229-foot-long combination truss and arch bridge has lasted this long is a tribute to its sturdy engineering, advocates say. They count only nine covered wooden bridges left in California. Many get washed out by floodwaters. This one is the oldest.

The bridge was constructed in 1862 by David Wood, who owned a sawmill in the area. It served as a key river passage for what was called the Virginia Turnpike, the wagon trail from Marysville to the silver mines near Virginia City, Nevada. Toll prices weren't cheap. Carts pulled by eight horses, mules or oxen had to pay $6. A one-horse buggy paid $1 to cross. Horse riders paid 50 cents. People on foot paid 25 cents. Hog owners paid 5 cents per hog.

The bridge later served motorized cars taking the northern, lower-elevation route through the mountains.

As a key attraction in South Yuba River State Park for the last 45 years, the bridge has become a pilgrimage destination for bridge lovers. Standing inside, you can close your eyes and hear the hooves of the mules and the creak of wagons headed to the mines, said Dave Anderson, president of the South Yuba River Park Association.

Regards,
Andy

[Max Rockatansky]

We did our own take on the Bridgeport Covered Bridge which just published today:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/11/bridgeport-covered-bridge.html?m=1

[Quillz]

Not to be confused with Bridgeport, CA to the south.