One of the oldest covered bridges in the state has been restored from fire damage.
Built in 1856 across the Buckhannon River, the Carrollton Covered Bridge in Barbour County was damaged by a fire in 2017.
The West Virginia Division of Highways 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 themselves.
Fire damage required workers to replace most of the bridge’s truss work, as well as new siding and a roof. Contractors must still remove scaffolding erected to work on the bridge and keep debris out of the river, but the Carrollton Covered Bridge is reopened to traffic.
Speaking to West Virginia Public Broadcasting at the start of the project last summer, West Virginia Division of Highways District 7 Bridge Engineer Chad Boram said the project was an important learning experience in a state with 17 similar, historic structures.
“We’ll take away a lot of knowledge from this rehabilitation that we can apply to other structures that are similar in nature,” he said. “Maybe as a district helps out other districts that also have covered bridges and may need to do restorations or minor repairs of some nature.“
Boram said another restoration project of the Walkersville Covered Bridge is being planned for next year.