Pine Brook Covered Bridge


The Pine Brook Covered Bridge, also called the Wilder Covered Bridge, is a wooden covered bridge that crosses Pine Brook in Waitsfield, Vermont on North Road. Built in 1872, it is one two surviving 19th-century covered bridges in the town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Description and history

The Pine Brook Bridge stands in a rural area of northern Waitsfield, carrying North Road, a principal road in the area, across Pine Brook, a tributary of the Mad River to the west. It consists of two king post trusses, and is long and wide, with a roadway width of . It rests on stone abutments faced in concrete, and its wooden bridge deck is supported by steel I-beams. Its exterior is clad in vertical board siding, which extends a short way inside the portals. The roof is standing seam metal.
The bridge was built in 1872. It is one of only two historic covered bridges left in the state with the king post design, and one of only two in the town. In 1976 repairs were made to the then dilapidating structure. Concrete caps were added to the abutments and steel -beams were added just below the deck, so that only an overload condition would require the additional support of the beams. The trusses also received attention. In 1989 the deck was replaced.