About

The Scott Covered Bridge crosses the West River west of Townshend village, just west of Vermont Route 30 and south of Townshend Dam. It is 277 feet long in three spans: a 166 foot Town lattice span over the river and two kingpost spans totaling 111 feet that cross a gully on the west bank. Built in 1870, it is one of the longest covered bridges in Vermont. It is closed to motor vehicles and open to pedestrians and bicycles.

History

Harrison Chamberlin built the bridge in 1870, after the 1869 flood. It is named for the former Henry Scott homestead at its west end. The kingpost trusses, originally exposed, were covered in 1873. Concrete facing was added to the piers in 1915, ownership passed to the Vermont Historical Commission in 1955, support beams were added in 1961, and a concrete pier was added in 1981. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1973. It was closed in 2012 after an inspection found serious structural problems. Renaud Brothers of Vernon renovated it from 2016 to 2017, and it reopened to foot and bicycle traffic in May 2017 after a $2.35 million project.

Design

The river span uses the Town lattice truss, a web of crisscrossed planks, which was later strengthened with laminated arches. During the 2016 to 2017 renovation a twisted arch was removed after a study found it had no useful function. The kingpost spans use iron rods in place of timber posts. The bridge is 20 feet wide with a 16 foot roadway.