Pictures of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge

Brideport Covered Bridge

Nevada County, California

Timber haulers built this bridge in 1863 of sugarpine trusses and red cedar shakes. It was a private toll road for many years.

Considered by many to be the longest existing covered bridge in America, the Bridgeport Bridge is the centerpiece of a new State Park development in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

The bridge was raised 4 feet in 1970, in order to protect it from flooding. TEA funds restored the bridge in 1996, and the floods of January 199 damaged that work. Entire sections of shingles and a lower part of one truss were broken, and partially carried away by the raging waters.

Fortunately, the new bridge upstream from the historic bridge protected it somewhat from more floating debris.

The California State Department of Parks and Recreation is dedicated to repairing the flood damage. Other Enhancement funds in hte project, reserved for restoring a nearby rock wall, may be diverted to bridge repair.