Nearly Six Years after Fire Badly Damaged Structure, Historic Carrollton Covered Bridge Restoration Done
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on May 23, 2023

The bridge, which spans the Buckhannon River, was badly damaged by a fire in 2017. The WVDOH had originally planned to hire contractors to restore the historic structure, but decided it would be cheaper and faster for WVDOH bridge specialists to do the work

“I definitely knew our guys were capable of the work,” said District 7 Bridge Engineer Chad Boram, P.E. So District 7 hired a consultant to come up with a plan and WVDOH bridge crews went to work restoring the span.
The bridge was built in 1856 by brothers Emmett and Daniel O’Brien. At 140 feet, it is one of the longest surviving covered bridges in West Virginia. The

West Virginia’s covered bridges were largely built of hemlock and poplar cut on site. In the 1800s these trees were abundant in the state.
However, once they began assessing the damage to the bridge, WVDOH crews discovered that the charred timbers were in worse shape than they had expected.
In the end, WVDOH crews ended up replacing most of the bridge’s truss work. “That definitely wasn’t in the plan,” Boram said.

But, at times using hammers and chisels, crews repaired the bridge top structure and hung new wooden siding. In May, crews installed a new steel roof, another first for the 10 to 12-person crew.
“It’s something all the guys are proud of,” Boram said. In fact, crews did such a good job that they’ll be starting a restoration project on the Walkersville Covered Bridge next year.
