Scipio Covered Bridge 14-40-01
Facts
- Overview
- Covered bridge over Sand Creek on CR 575W
- Location
- Jennings County, Indiana
- Status
- Closed for rehabilitation. A new bridge has been built but the old one will be renovated and reopened to light traffic.
- History
- Built 1886; rehabilitated 1984
- Builder
- - Smith Bridge Co. of Toledo, Ohio
- Design
- Covered Howe through truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 145.0 ft.
Total length: 155.8 ft.
Deck width: 15.7 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 13.4 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +39.08450, -85.72033 (decimal degrees)
39°05'04" N, 85°43'13" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/610678/4326933 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- North Vernon
- Average daily traffic (as of 2015)
- 50
- Inventory numbers
- INNBI 4000024 (Indiana bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
WGCB 14-40-01 (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)
BH 16421 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection report (as of December 2015)
- Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Very Good (8 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 32 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com
Update Log
- June 15, 2018: New photos from Linda Daffron
- February 19, 2015: Updated by Will Truax: Added builder
- May 19, 2010: New photo from Bill Eichelberger
- March 23, 2010: New photos from James McCray
- November 10, 2009: New photos from J.P.
- October 23, 2006: Posted photos from Tom Hall
Sources
- Tom Hall - thomas [dot] hall [at] ffni [dot] com
- Dale Travis Covered Bridge List
- J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
- James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Bill Eichelberger
- Will Truax - Bridgewright [at] gmail [dot] com
- Linda Daffron
Comments
Bypass bridge is completed on a totally different road alignment to SR 7. The covered bridge is boarded up at both ends, and the original road through town does not connect the bypass road. Just read an Indiana Economic Digest article saying along the lines the bridge is to undergo an extensive renovation, and afterwards it would still be open to vehicular traffic. Just hope no truckers trust their gps like one did in Spencerville.
Work has began to bypass this bridge. It wasn't that big a surprise. Scipio probably has at least 100 or more residents. So the road this covered bridge is on is probably an artery where there is considerable traffic. I remember first seeing the Scipio bridge in 1989 after the rehab in excellent condition with an 11 ton limit. That hasn't lasted and traffic become heavy. What matters is that after the bypass the covered bridge is well maintained and not forgotten.
IMO bypass is seldom a good thing, with it usually comes a disincentive to budget for maintenance of the claddings and clean the leaflitter away from the Bed Timbers.
Looks like this bridge will be bypassed based on recent contracts posted.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/in/jennings/scipio/
Nicely renovated & can be accessed thru the Scipio Fire Station parking lot. Not an actual bypass bridge, although it is suitable to drive thru for a scenic view