The Renovation of Bartram's Bridge

The whole point of putting a roof and sides on a bridge is to limit the deterioration of the structure, and so cut down on the upkeep cost (relative to an uncovered wooden bridge). All the same, covered bridges need a certain amount of maintenance. The majority of the covered bridges in our area are still used for road traffic, and so they are kept up by the authorities who are responsible for the roads; but bridges that pass out of the highway department into nonprofit hands are sometimes allowed to deteriorate for lack of funds to maintain them. Bartram's Bridge was one example of this problem, until recently.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer ("Neighbors," Main Line and Western Suburb edition supplement, Friday, April 28, 1995, p. W3) repair work on Bartram's Bridge had begun, but invisible damage had been found. The work was under the Joint Preservation Board, made up of representatives of Newtown and Willistown townships.

By mid-May, the repairs were indeed under way.

Deterioration at Bartram's Bridge, Early 1994

Bartram's Bridge in Mid-May

Repairs Under Way at Bartram's Bridge

After the Repair

More Complete Repairs

Fundraising to defray the expenses is still ongoing. If you would like to contribute to the repair effort, call 647-5300 (Willistown Twp, Chester County) or 356-0200 (Newtown Twp, Delaware County). Both are in the new 610 area code.

Still Appealing

This way ... To the Driving Tour