Langley Covered Bridge is the longest remaining wood-covered bridge in the US state of Michigan, and is located a few miles north of Centerville, St. Joseph County. This bridge is located in Lockport Township. The road to the bridge is bordered by the eastern route of Lockport and the cities of Nottawa. The bridge over the St. Joseph. The bridge and the current cobbled highway opened in 1887. The bridges and crossroads make Covered Bridge Road.
Video Langley Covered Bridge
History
The bridge is not the first bridge to reach parts of the River St. This Joseph. In 1887 the St. The swollen Joseph swept a bridge about two blocks from the current bridge. The bridge is currently built in 1887 by the nearby Parkville builder, Pierce Bodmer. Both Lockport and Nottawa Township commissioned a bridge that cost around $ 3,000. The bridge was named for Thomas W. Langley and his family, the pioneers who helped found the village of Centerville in the mid-19th century. In fact, Langley was the first settler in Centerville.
Recovery work
In the 1940s with increased traffic motor vehicles began to replace horse and buggy traffic and pedestrians. The addition of weight and vibration has begun to cause damage to bridges and abutments that require repair. "The road commission is flooded with requests from all parts of the country and surrounding countries to do everything possible to keep the bridge intact." The Elkhart Bridge and Iron Works were awarded a contract to repair the bridge. The 1950-51 project is delivering a new structure bridge at a cost of $ 35,885. In September 1950 the bridge was closed for traffic so work could begin and not be reopened until August 1951. During the closure of "All elements of bridge load bearers converted from wood into steel or concrete, old floor replaced by two by creosoted fours."
The bridge is again in need of a major overhaul of St. John's Road Committee. Joseph County hired Anlaan Corporation to do the restoration work. All sides have been removed from the bridge, the roof replaced. The asphalt that has been added to the road decking is removed and returned to the wooden board. The repair cost of 2008-09 is almost $ 1 million. During this Restoration project two frames and High Limit portal marks are added.
Substitution
In 1964, the bridge became the center of controversy when the county road officials wanted to widen the road between Centerville and Vicksburg.
Maps Langley Covered Bridge
Tourism
Many closed bridges in Michigan and other countries do not exist anymore, and therefore the structure is very historic. For nearly 130 years the covered bridge has become a wonderful dot for tourists, the artist photographer hopes to capture the shadows of a cahnging bridge. The bridge attracts history buffs and bridges seeing the longest covered bridge in Michigan. Another reason people come to the bridge is fishing from within the bridge.
Facts and numbers
This bridge stretches along 282 feet (86 m) across the river, consisting of three spans and is made of Howe truss construction. The frame and the blocks are made of white pine. The original bridge section was made of three 94-foot (29 m) sections that joined together to form a 282-foot (86 m) bridge length. They measure 19 feet (5.8 m) wide by 16 feet (4.9 m) tall. Original bridge board and decking rests on 40 bars measuring 8 inches (20 cm) by 12 inches (30 cm) by 19 feet (5.8 m) long. It is estimated that on average 1,700 vehicles a day use the bridge. During the 2008-09 project on the bridge, two portals and Heath framing frames were added at a cost of $ 20,000 each with a total of $ 40,000 to help protect the bridge.
When the Sturgis Dam is installed, the bridge should be raised eight feet (two point four meters). In a two-year period, 1950-51, St. John's commission Joseph County does work to help preserve the bridge for future use. To achieve this the old foundation wood must be replaced with wood reinforced with steel beams. The repair cost is almost $ 36,000 (equivalent to $ 272,000 in 2016).
There are three main restrictions on the bridge. There are severe heavy three-ton (seventy-seven-seven-ton) restrictions, seventeen-foot limitations (2.1 m), and there is a limit on how wide a vehicle can be. There are many warning signs that lead to the bridge to warn restrictions. The St. Joseph County Road Commission has tried several creative ways to prevent people from breaking bridges. Despite the signs, people have been hitting metal marks and damaging them repaired by 2016. The sign was replaced.
Other events
This bridge became a very important symbol for the village of Centerville for nearly 100 years. Since 1975 the village's annual summer festival is called Covered Bridge Days. A local newspaper operating in 1960 used the sketch of the bridge as its logo at different times.
The Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce organizes what is billed once in a lifetime, where the bridge is closed to host a charity dinner. The event was conducted in coordination with district road commissions that have some deck work planned on the bridge.
Photo gallery
See also
- Bridge portal
- Michigan Portal
References
External links
- Media related to Langley Covered Bridge on Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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