New Henniker Bridge

New Henniker Bridge
New Bridge

View looking north west - Covered Bridge, Spanning Contoocook River, Hopkinton, NH
Coordinates 43°10′54″N 71°45′07″W / 43.181700°N 71.751880°W / 43.181700; -71.751880Coordinates: 43°10′54″N 71°45′07″W / 43.181700°N 71.751880°W / 43.181700; -71.751880
Crosses Contoocook River
Named for New road to Henniker, New Hampshire
Owner Town of Hopkinton
Historic American Buildings Survey HABS NH-30
Website http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/nh0143/
Preceded by Stone arch bridge washed away in 1852
Followed by Steel truss bridge just north of it which is no longer in existence
Characteristics
Design Briggs Truss
Material Stone piers
Trough construction Wood lattice and arch
Total length 180 ft.
Width 20 ft.
Height 22 ft.
No. of spans 1
History
Constructed by John C. Briggs
Construction start 1863
Construction cost $2,500
Rebuilt 1935
Closed 1936

New Henniker Bridge or New Bridge was a covered bridge in West Hopkinton, New Hampshire, which carried Henniker Road over the Contoocook River. The truss bridge was completed in 1863, and was the second bridge on the site. The original stone arch bridge was built in 1845 and was washed away by flood in 1852. The bridge was just over 20 feet (6.1 m) wide and 180 feet (55 m) long, and consisted of a single span supported by two triple lattice trusses resting on granite abutments. The patent drawings show an all-timber truss with fixed intersection angles in the center of the span. At the ends of the span the angles of the diagonals vary. The end post is vertical, and each brace further from it is sloped a little more.[1][2]

In 1935 the bridge had sustained damage during a flood and was repaired. The bridge was utilized until 1936 when a steel truss bridge was built adjoining it to the north and ready for traffic. The covered bridge was then destroyed.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Henniker Road Covered Bridge 29-07-62x". Dave King, Will Truax. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Henniker Road, Merrimack County". Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "HABS NH-30" (PDF). Eugene W. Clark. Historic American Buildings Survey. December 1937. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
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