Cornish Bridge: The Longest Wooden Covered Bridge in the U.S

Come see the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States.

Did you know the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge is also the longest two span bridge in the world?

There are other bridges that are longer, but the Cornish-Windsor bridge has the longest covered span for cars and the other bridges are pedestrian only.

Directions:

On the NH side the bridge is off Route 12A in Cornish.

On the VT side turn onto Bridge St. from Main St. in Windsor and continue straight until you get to the bridge.

Parking:

There is a wide parking area to take pictures right past the bridge on the NH side if you are coming north from Lebanon.

Things to Know:

This bridge often has cars on it, and no real pedestrian area to walk on it, so be careful if you take pictures in it.  It’s narrow with two cars passing through.

The best way to take pictures is from the parking area.

This bridge has height and weight restrictions for big trucks.

History:

The current bridge was built in 1866.  Before that three other bridges were on the site: 1796, 1824 and 1828.   These were all destroyed by floods.

From 1936-1943 it was a toll bridge.  You can still see the sign today.

In 1989, the state of NH rennovated the bridge due to flood damage.  It cost over four million dollars.

Accolades:

A National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the America Society of Civil Engineers (1970).

On the National Register of Historic Places (1976).

Over one hundred and fifty three years old!

Information courtesy of NH Department of Public Transportation and Wikipedia.