# New England covered bridges

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 17, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368 "2019-09-17T07:54:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kirkrapine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/1 "2019-09-17T07:54:04Z")

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Why? What’s the point of covering a bridge, when there’s no need to cover the roads?

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/2 "2019-09-17T08:26:54Z")

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The deck surface or other lower parts of those bridges are usually wood, too. The roof and sides protect that wood from the elements.

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/3 "2019-09-17T08:55:35Z")

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> [@dtilque](#):
>
> The deck surface or other lower parts of those bridges are usually wood, too. The roof and sides protect that wood from the elements.

Yep. To quote [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_bridge) : “Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge could last 100 years”

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/4 "2019-09-17T10:20:42Z")

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That, and in winter the most common road vehicle was a sleigh, not a wagon. The roof kept the sun off the snow that would be shoveled onto the deck. The walls helped keep horses from shying when they crossed the bridge.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/5 "2019-09-17T10:50:49Z")

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And the covering is also subject to the weather, and so also rots out after a while and needs to be replaced. But the covering is a lot cheaper and easier to replace than the trusses and roadway.

They’re found outside of New England, too, by the way. There are plenty in Ohio.

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/6 "2019-09-17T11:22:36Z")

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[The Master speaks.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1136/why-are-covered-bridges-covered/)

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/7 "2019-09-17T12:41:36Z")

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Another reminder that this is hardly a NE phenomenon. Google “covered bridges in \<a state\>” to get list. Here’s one for [Oregon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_covered_bridges_in_Oregon). 50 are given including one in Multnomah county that was built way back … in 1982. (Although the purists say it’s not actually a covered bridge, despite appearances.) I’ve been across that one recentishly.

Of course states with a lot of timber tend to have more than those that don’t.

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**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-england-covered-bridges/840368/8 "2019-09-17T14:43:56Z")

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I Imagine it helps with freezing weathers as well. I’d imagine a covered bridge is less likely to freeze over.