Rock Covered Bridge

About

Rock Covered Bridge, officially Schuylkill County Bridge No. 113, crosses Lower Little Swatara Creek near the village of Rock in Washington Township, Schuylkill County, off PA 895. Wikipedia gives the stream as Little Swatara Creek. It is a Burr arch truss about 39 ft long, built around 1875, and it carries vehicle traffic.

History

The bridge dates to about 1875. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 3, 1978, together with Zimmerman's Covered Bridge (No. 114), about two miles to the west. The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office describes the pair as the last two of the covered bridges that once stood in Schuylkill County. A rehabilitation of Rock Covered Bridge was completed in 2015. Larson Design Group designed that work for the Schuylkill County Commissioners, in coordination with PennDOT District 5 and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The project replaced the existing steel through girders with new steel I-beams, replaced deteriorated timber truss members, and raised the posted capacity from 3 tons to 15 tons so emergency vehicles can cross.

Design

A Burr arch truss pairs a long timber arch on each side with a multiple kingpost truss, the two bolted together to share the load. At Rock, steel I-beams installed during the rehabilitation now help carry the deck.

Visiting

The bridge is in Washington Township near Rock, off PA 895, about two miles east of Zimmerman's Covered Bridge. It is open to vehicles, with a 15-ton posting under the rehabilitation design.

Sources: Schuylkill County Bridge No. 113 (Wikipedia), From Fifty-One to Two (PA SHPO), Rock Covered Bridge (Larson Design Group)