Langley Covered Bridge
| Langley Covered Bridge | |
|---|---|
Langley Covered Bridge—September 2016
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| Coordinates | 41°58′02″N 085°31′41″W / 41.96722°N 85.52806°WCoordinates: 41°58′02″N 085°31′41″W / 41.96722°N 85.52806°W |
| Carries | Covered Bridge Road |
| Crosses | St. Joseph River |
| Locale | Centreville, Michigan |
| Maintained by | St. Joseph County Road Commission |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Howe truss |
| Total length | 282 ft (86 m) |
| No. of spans | 3 |
| Load limit | 3 short tons (2.7 t) |
| Clearance above | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1887 |
| Designated | August 31, 1965 |
Langley Covered Bridge is the longest remaining wooden covered bridge in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is located several miles north of Centreville, the seat of St. Joseph County. The bridge is located in Lockport Township. The road to get to the bridge borders on the east line of Lockport and Nottawa townships. The bridge crosses the St. Joseph River. The current bridge and causeway opened in 1887. The bridge and causeway make up Covered Bridge Road.
The bridge is not the first bridge to span this section of the St. Joseph River. In 1887 a swollen St. Joseph River swept away that bridge that was about two blocks from the current bridge location. The current bridge was constructed in 1887 by nearby Parkville builder Pierce Bodmer. Both Lockport and Nottawa Township commissioned the bridge which cost about $3,000. The bridge is named for Thomas W. Langley and family, pioneers who helped establish the village of Centreville in the mid-19th century. In fact, Langley was the very first settler in Centreville.
In the 1940s with the increase in motor vehicle traffic started to replace the horse and buggy and foot traffic. The added weight and vibration had started to cause damage to the bridge and abutments requiring repair. "The road commission was flooded with requests from all parts of the state and surrounding states to do everything possible to keep the covered bridge intact." The Elkhart Bridge and Iron Works was awarded the contract to fix the bridge. The 1950-51 project was to give the bridge a new under structure at a cost of $35,885. In September 1950 the bridge was closed to traffic so work could begin and did not reopen till August 1951. During the closure "All the load carrying elements of the bridge were changed from wood to steel or concrete. The old flooring was replaced with two by fours creosoted."
The bridge was again in need of major repair the St. Joseph County Road Commission hired Anlaan Corporation to perform the restoration work. All of the siding was removed from the bridge, the roof was replaced. The asphalt that had been added to road decking was removed and returned to wood planking. The cost of the 2008-09 repair was almost $1 million. During this Restoration project two Height Restrictor portal frames and signs were added.
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Wikipedia