West Swanzey Covered Bridge - West Swanzey NH
Posted by: nomadwillie
N 42° 52.306 W 072° 19.653
18T E 718285 N 4750040
The West Swanzey or Thompson Bridge is a two span Town Lattice Truss with a total length of 159 feet. It carries Main Street Road over the Ashuelot River in West Swanzey. This bridge was built in 1832.
Waymark Code: WM5BF6
Location: New Hampshire, United States
Date Posted: 12/12/2008
Views: 12
The bridge was constructed by Zadoc Taft and is also known as the Thompson Bridge. In 1973, when it was posted for a six ton load limit, school busses were allowed to cross the bridge, but only if empty. When a bus full of students came to the bridge, the students would get off the bus, walk across the bridge, and reboard the bus on the other side. In 1976, a new concrete and steel bridge was built nearby to carry heavy vehicles. This new bridge cost $376,914.61. The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since the fall of 1990 after a report by state inspectors indicated the bridge was unsafe. The Swanzey Historical Museum has a collection of historical material relating to all the covered bridges in town including a scale model of the West Swanzey Bridge. A highway committee was formed in 1990 to develop proposals for the rehabilitation of the town's covered bridges. The West Swanzey Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
County / Borough / Parish: Chesire
Year listed: 1983
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event
Periods of significance: 1825-1849
Historic function: Transportation
Current function: Transportation
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2008 To: 12/31/2008
Hours of operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Street address: Not listed
Privately owned?: Not Listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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