The Powerscourt Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that takes the First Concession Road across the Châteauguay River in Hinchinbrooke, Quebec. It is also known as the Percy Bridge.
Powerscourt Covered Bridge Pont Percy | |
|---|---|
 View (August 2005) looking upriver, from the West bank (Elgin) | |
| Coordinates | 45°00′31″N 74°09′34″W / 45.00871°N 74.15953°W |
| Carries | 2-lane road (reduced to one lane + 2 sidewalks in 2010) |
| Crosses | Châteauguay River |
| Locale | Between Elgin and Hinchinbrooke |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | McCallum Truss |
| Total length | 51 m (167 ft) |
| Width | 6.2 m (20 ft) |
| Height | 8 m (26 ft) to top |
| Longest span | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Clearance above | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1861 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | Automotive and pedestrian |
| Official name | Powerscourt Covered Bridge National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1984 |
| Type | Classified heritage immovable |
| Designated | 1987 |
| Location | |
 | |
It was constructed in 1861, and employs the McCallum inflexible arched truss, developed by Daniel McCallum. It was the only McCallum truss bridge that was not a railway bridge, and since wooden truss railway bridges have all but been replaced with steel and concrete bridges, it is the last bridge of its kind in the world.[1] In 2009 it was fully restored to its original 1861 plans.[2]
It is supported on three masonry piers and the two spans are structurally independent of each other.[3]
The Powerscourt Covered Bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada[3] in 1984 because:
- it is the only known example of a McCallum inflexible arched truss bridge still in existence;
- it is one of the oldest covered bridges that exists in Canada.
The bridge was also named an Historic Monument of Quebec in 1987.[4] It was documented by the U.S. Historic American Engineering Record in 2003 with assistance from Public Works and Government Services Canada.[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Morgan, James. "Powerscourt, home to Canada's oldest covered bridge". NCPR. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ Galbraith, Robert (2009). "Gallery: Powerscourt Bridge". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ a b Powerscourt Covered Bridge National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ Pont couvert de Powerscourt. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ Behrens, Thomas M.; Hernandez, Naomi (2003). "Title Sheet - Powerscourt Bridge". Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
External links edit
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-332, "Powerscourt Bridge, Spanning Chateauguay River, First Concession Road, Elgin/Hinchinbrooke, Huntingdon County, Quebec, Canada", 13 photos, 7 measured drawings, 7 data pages, 1 photo caption page