hutchins_2009
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Hutchins Bridge in January
A short History
WGN 45-06-07
The project began November 2008 and has a completion date of October 30, 2009. The winning bid was $1,085,869.93 made by Alpine Construction of of Schylerville, New York. The bid includes the temporary bridge (see the Engineering Study above).
The current activity is preparing the site for work on the bridge superstructure (everything above the abutments).
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| A concrete form is being built by the west abutment like the one to the right. These will serve as supports for the scaffolding that will suspend the bridge while the trusses are worked on. These pads will be removed when the reconstruction is complete. |
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| A view of the south, or upstream side of the bridge. Notice the horizontal siding. I suspect this was installed to protect the siding against ice and flotsam when the South Branch of the Trout River is in flood. |
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| A view of the north side of the bridge. There is no horizontal siding on this, the downstream side. Notice the stone work in the left foreground, part of the remains of the mill once active here. |
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| The Hutchins Covered Bridge in January, quiet and very cold. Unseen under the snow, the abutments for the planned bypass Baily Bridge are ready when work begins in the spring. |
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The Hutchins Bridge, built in 1883 by the Jewett brothers, stands in a quiet valley out of view of the busy highway. A narrow unpaved road leads the traveler to the portal of the barn-red bridge. It is easy to imagine, in this isolated spot, that one has returned to the nineteenth century.
The Agency of Transportation Covered Bridge Study team inspected the bridge in 1994. The team found it to be in such poor condition that they recommended prompt attention to restore its capacity to safely support traffic. The Agency asked the town to close the bridge until repairs are performed
Instead, I-beams were installed and the bridge continued in use by the dwelling beyond.
It would be wrong to think of the Hutchins Bridge's history as idyllic and bucolic. This was a busy spot in 1883, as the moss-covered foundations just south of the west portal reveal. Here, Joseph Hutchins' five-lathe factory produced 2,000 butter tubs a day. The bridge resounded with the arrival of the mill workers at dawn, and again with their departure at dusk. Teams of horses clattered through, bringing logs of spruce, hemlock, and basswood, and other teams took the completed butter tubs away. The bustle stopped only when night fell. Over the years, as industry and society changed, the activity waned, until it finally stopped altogether when the factory shut its doors for good.
Joe Nelson, P.O Box 267, Jericho, VT 05465-0267
This file posted Thursday, April 20, 2009