About
The Sayres Covered Bridge, also known as the Thetford Center Covered Bridge, carries Tucker Hill Road over the Ompompanoosuc River just west of Thetford Center village, above a millpond. It is about 127 feet long, with a span of about 128.5 feet, and it carries one lane of vehicle traffic. It is the state's only known example of the Haupt patent truss.
History
The builders' names are lost, and the construction date is uncertain: coveredbridges.net gives about 1840, and Sidenote cites an estimate of 1837 to 1840. In 1963 the abutments were capped in concrete, a central concrete pier was added and steel I-beams were placed under the deck, so the original trusses now carry only the superstructure. Sidenote reports a renovation in 2007. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1974, and it is a contributing property in the Thetford Center Historic District, listed in 1998. Residents installed hand-painted height warning signs in June 2021, and Sidenote reports several vehicle strikes since, including one in January 2022 that broke a sign and damaged the fascia boards.
Design
The Haupt truss resembles a multiple kingpost truss, with a laminated arch, and here it is built from planks joined with treenails. Sources disagree on whether the builders knew they were using the Haupt design. The bridge rests on dry-laid stone abutments and has a metal roof and vertical board siding, with portal ends that project about a foot beyond the deck.
Visiting
The bridge is on Tucker Hill Road, which links Vermont Routes 113 and 132. It is open to vehicles, with a posted clearance of 11 ft 9 in.
Sources: Thetford Center Covered Bridge (Wikipedia), Sayres Covered Bridge (coveredbridges.net), Covered bridges: at what price? (Sidenote)
Location
Tucker Hill Road, Thetford, VermontSimilar Bridges in category
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