Netcher Road Covered Bridge - Ashtabula County, Ohio

Of all of the covered bridges found around Ashtabula County, Ohio, the Netcher Road Covered Bridge located in Jefferson, Ohio was the last covered bridge built in the county during the 20th Century, opening to the public in August 1999. Just a few years younger than the nearby Smolen-Gulf Bridge, the Netcher Bridge is built with a Haupt truss design and features what is best described as a neo-Victorian exterior look. The Netcher Road Covered Bridge crosses Mill Creek is 110 feet in length, 22 feet in width and 14 feet, 6 inches tall, which can easily withstand the height clearance of most vehicles. Designed by then-Ashtabula County Engineer John Smolen with an architectural design by local architect Beverly Cowles of Jefferson, Ohio, the covered bridge cost $819,050 and was funded through a Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act grant.

John Smolen himself chose the Haupt truss design for the bridge, a design originally used in railroad design and created by Herman Haupt of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1854. Richter Construction of Columbus, Ohio won the bid to construct the covered bridge, while the 24 ton trusses for the covered bridge were fabricated in Ripley, West Virginia. Southern pine was used for the interior bridge construction, namely the arches, walls, floor and roof. Yellow poplar was used for the covered bridge's siding. The covered bridge was stained red and trimmed in a cream color, since painted white. The light trim makes the cupolas above the bridge's portals certainly stand out. The architectural highlights of the bridge include cupolas with copper roofs at each end.

I visited the Netcher Road Covered Bridge while chipping away at my list of seeing the many covered bridges in Ashtaubla County. The cupola and siding design for this bridge are what really make it stand out, especially as it is a design feature I don't really come across when seeing covered bridges around the Northeastern United States. The Netcher Road Covered Bridge is certainly worth the quick visit if you are exploring covered bridges in northeast Ohio.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
Ashtabula County Barn Quilt Trail - Netcher Road
Ashtabula County Ohio Visitors Bureau - Netcher Road Covered Bridge
The Pennsylvania Rambler - Netcher Road Covered Bridge
My Ohio Fun - Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Tour
Tom The Backroads Traveller - The Netcher Road Covered Bridge
Ashtabula Star Beacon - Netcher Road: The last covered bridge built over Mill Creek (April 12, 2009)

Comments

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog