Gudgeonville Covered Bridge
| Gudgeonville Covered Bridge | |
| Gudgeonville Road | |
 The bridge before its destruction, July 2008
|
|
| Official name: Gudgeonville Covered Bridge | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Erie |
| Township | Girard |
| Road | Township 400 (single lane) |
| Crosses | Elk Creek |
| Coordinates | 41°58′56″N 80°16′01″W / 41.98222°N 80.26694°WCoordinates: 41°58′56″N 80°16′01″W / 41.98222°N 80.26694°W |
| Length | 84 ft (26 m) |
| - Mainspan | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Width | 14 ft (4 m) |
| Clearance | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Builder | William Sherman |
| Design | Multiple King-post Truss Bridge |
| Material | Wood |
| Built | 1868 |
| - Rebuilt | 1870s |
| - Destroyed | November 8, 2008 |
| Owned and Maintained by | Girard Township |
| NBI Number | 257207040040080 |
| WGCB Number | 38-25-03 |
| NRHP Ref Number | 80003491 |
| Load | 4.5 t (5.0 short tons) |
| Added to NRHP | September 17, 1980 |
| MPS | Covered Bridges of Erie County TR |
 Location of the Gudgeonville Covered Bridge in Pennsylvania
|
|
The Gudgeonville Covered Bridge was a 84-foot (25.6 m) long Multiple King-post Truss covered bridge over Elk Creek in Girard Township, Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was built in 1868 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980. It was destroyed by arson on November 8, 2008.
It was the oldest of the three remaining covered bridges in Erie County. The bridge structure's sufficiency rating on the Federal Highway Administration National Bridge Inventory was only 14.6 percent and its condition was deemed "basically intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action".
The Gudgeonville Bridge was constructed around 1868 and was rebuilt in the early 1870s after a fire. The bridge is located in Girard Township and crosses Elk Creek. The bridge was built and designed by William Sherman. The foundation of the bridge is believed to be remnants of the Erie Extension Canal. The name of the bridge has been a mystery with some sources indicating that the bridge was constructed to provide access to a gudgeon factory.
The bridge has been damaged from numerous small fires and has been the site of constant vandalism over the years. There were several proposals to dismantle the bridge and move it to a more secure location where it would not be vandalized. Another proposal was to build another bridge to bypass the original bridge, as it is too narrow to allow a variety of vehicles to cross it, including snowplows, fire trucks, and ambulances.
...
Wikipedia