Quechee Covered Bridge

Quechee, Hartford, Windsor County. Built 1970, 85 ft over the Ottauquechee River. Tropical Storm Irene destroyed the first bridge in 2011, and it was rebuilt.

Waterman Hill Road, Hartford, Vermont
Vermont
County Windsor
City/Town Hartford
1970
GPS Coordinates 43.645427, -72.419059
Bridge Status Open to traffic
Crosses Ottauquechee River
Bridge Type/Truss Design Stringer
Length (feet) 85ft
Quechee Covered Bridge in Hartford, Vermont

About

The Quechee Covered Bridge carries Waterman Hill Road over the Ottauquechee River in Quechee village, in the town of Hartford, Windsor County. It stands next to Simon Pearce. Wikipedia lists it as an 85-foot bridge first built in 1970, of steel stringer construction, and includes it among Vermont's non-authentic covered bridges. It is a road bridge open to vehicles.

History

The first covered bridge here was built in 1970. Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Irene destroyed it in August 2011. Its replacement had been under construction since late summer 2012 and opened with a ribbon cutting attended by Governor Peter Shumlin at the end of December 2012, with final work expected the next spring; Wikipedia gives 2013 as the rebuild date. In 2023, floodwaters washed away part of the embankment. The bridge closed for about two weeks and reopened to limited traffic in August 2023 after emergency repairs. Officials said then that it would be limited to one lane for the next three years, and that long-term work on the foundation was still needed.

Design

Unlike Vermont's historic timber truss bridges, the Quechee bridge is a steel stringer bridge: steel beams carry the deck, and the covered superstructure encloses it.

Visiting

The bridge is on Waterman Hill Road in Quechee village and carries vehicle traffic. After the 2023 flood repairs, officials limited it to one lane.

Sources: List of non-authentic covered bridges in Vermont (Wikipedia), New covered bridge opens to traffic (Boston.com), Quechee covered bridge reopens following flood repairs (WCAX)

Photo: David Dugan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Location

Waterman Hill Road, Hartford, Vermont

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