Work on the Lincoln Covered Bridge in Woodstock is scheduled begin the week of Aug. 19, according to the company responsible for the repair work.

Joseph Poston, senior project manager of Wright Construction of Manchester, N.H., said it will cost approximately $294,000 to fix 10 croft beams, 15 knee braces, 19 verticals and new siding at both entrances.

"We have to strip the sidings off the bridge in order to disassemble and reassemble the parts," Poston said. "The roof will remain intact. It will be jacked up in the air about a foot and shored off the road deck. Then when we repair the verticals we will lower the bridge back down."

All of the costs will be covered by insurance, more specifically the insurance of the driver who caused the damages on May 15. Gavin Ratliff, 23, of Sharon crossed the bridge pulling a trailer with landscaping equipment and hit the interior of the structure.

The Lincoln Covered Bridge was built in 1877. The 137 foot long single span Pratt Truss was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1973. It is the only known wooden example of a structural system that later became widespread for steel highway and railroad bridges.

Since the closing of the bridge on May 20, vehicles have had to access the other side of the Ottauquechee River by using the Mill Road Bridge. Another alternative has been to use Carton Hill and Riverside Park Roads to cross the river in order to access Fletcher Hill Road.

Copyright © 2019 The Vermont Standard 8/15/2019