State Road Covered Bridge
The State Road Covered Bridge was the first covered bridge designed and built by legendary Ashtabula County Engineer John Smolen in 1983, a 152-foot Town lattice structure spanning Conneaut Creek.
About State Road Covered Bridge
The State Road Covered Bridge is a 152-foot Town lattice structure spanning Conneaut Creek. Erected in 1983, it was the first covered bridge designed and built by Ashtabula County Engineer John Smolen, whose name would later grace the longest covered bridge in America. The bridge contains 97,000 feet of southern pine and oak lumber.
History of State Road Covered Bridge
The dedication of the State Road Bridge in 1983 predated the famous Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival. This bridge marked the beginning of John Smolen's remarkable covered bridge building career, which would eventually include six new covered bridges in Ashtabula County. The project demonstrated that covered bridges could still be built for modern traffic needs, inspiring the county's ongoing commitment to covered bridge preservation and construction.
Architecture and Design
The bridge features traditional Town lattice truss construction, a design characterized by a diagonal lattice pattern of planks. A distinctive 4-foot-tall window extends the entire length of the bridge, displaying the Town lattice construction to passersby. This educational feature allows visitors to appreciate the engineering principles that make covered bridges work without entering the structure.
Visiting State Road Covered Bridge
The bridge is located on State Road near Conneaut. The bridge marks an important milestone in Ashtabula County's covered bridge heritage as the starting point of the modern covered bridge construction movement in the area. Visitors can combine a visit with tours to the historic Windsor Mills Bridge and Creek Road Bridge, both nearby spanning Conneaut Creek. The scenic Conneaut Creek valley offers beautiful views throughout the year.