Essex County

Jay Covered Bridge - NY 32-16-01 -- Jim Ligon, Project Superintendent for Alpine Construction, LLC., reports some exciting news regarding the Jay Covered Bridge. As you can see by the photos, the bridge is looking very attractive these days. The roof has been completely covered with a rubber membrane, but the finished roof will be a lightweight aluminum shingle which is supposed to look like cedar shakes. The interior of the bridge has been treated with a fire retardant and bug spray to prevent insect infestation. The fire alarm system has recently been installed and stain applied to the siding. To obtain up-to-date information on the continued rehabilitation progress, be sure to visit: http://members.localnet.com/~jligon/Alpine/Jay

September 2000 - Photo by Trish Kane	September 2004 - Photo by Jim Ligon

Herkimer County

Salisbury Center Covered Bridge - NY 32-22-01 -- The rehabilitation work on the Salisbury Center Covered Bridge was completed in mid August. With $153,000 in federal funds the town was able to replace the structure's horizontal, diagonal and vertical beams and remove the deck to install stronger beams as well as I-beams to better accommodate vehicular traffic. The bridge also has a new steel sheathing roof. During the rehabilitation process they were also able to remove the sag in the floor which makes for seven to eight inches additional clearance. The bridge looks fantastic and was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places on June 19, 1972. Special thanks to everyone involved in the rehabilitation of yet another of New York's historic landmarks.

Rensselaer/Washington Counties

Buskirk Covered Bridge - NY 32-42-02/58-04 -- The siding and roof are still absent from the Buskirk bridge and the top chords are being supported by scaffolding. These top chords will remain with some minor replacements. The new bottom chords are now in place. There has been a slight delay in the completion of the rehabilitation of this bridge. Upon closer inspection the iron rods between the top and bottom chords were found to be significantly deteriorated where they were hidden. More rods have to be replaced than originally thought and they are awaiting the delivery of these rods. Due to the delay, the reopening date is now scheduled for mid January. The construction company, Alpine Construction of Stillwater, NY is doing a fantastic job with this bridge. Thanks to Willy Grimmke, Superintendent of Public Works for Washington County for this update.

Other News:
Here are two additional websites you can bookmark under your favorites:
Oregon: http://www.oregon.com/covered_bridges/index.cfm
Virginia: http://hometown.aol.com/vabridgelady/myhomepage/photo.html

Outside New York: It is always exciting to see articles or events promoting our covered bridges. In the Travel section of the September 10th issue of USA Today there was a great article titled 10 Great Places to Cross That Covered Bridge. The 10 bridges mentioned were: Zumbrota in Minnesota, Bridgeton in Indiana, Philippi in West Virginia, Hogback in Iowa, Jordan in Oregon, Elizabethton in Tennessee, Oregon Creek in California, Langley in Michigan, Sunday River/Artist in Maine, and the Rexleigh in New York.

Watson Settlement Bridge. Photo by Kim McKee

Maine -- Watson Settlement CB -- ME-19-02-01 This bridge is currently undergoing some repairs. Kim McKee from Hagerstown, Maryland shares this July 2004 photo of the work to date. This bridge, built in 1911, is the farthest north and the youngest of Maine's original covered bridges. It has a Howe design and has two spans with a total length of 170 feet. In 1984 the bridge was closed to traffic when a new bridge was built.