West Virginia Press Association
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia is renowned for its covered bridges. Seventeen of the historic structures are located in the Mountain State, many still actively carrying traffic.
As the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) maintains its more than seven thousand bridges statewide, historic covered bridges are not overlooked.
Color posters of the state’s covered bridges are now available for FREE DOWNLOAD on the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s (WVDOT) website. Printer-friendly versions of the poster are available online in 6-by-4-inch, 12-by-8-inch, and 17-by-11-inch sizes.
Centerpiece of the poster is the 286-foot Philippi Covered bridge, which still carries traffic on major highway US 250 across the Tygart River in Philippi. The bridge was built in 1852, and was used by both sides during the American Civil War.
Other notable bridges included on the poster include the Carrollton Covered Bridge in Barbour County, badly damaged by fire in 2017 and painstakingly restored by WVDOT’s own District 7 bridge crews; and the Staats Mill Covered Bridge, which now resides at Cedar Lakes Retreat near Ripley in Jackson County.
West Virginia’s 17 covered bridges include:
Randy Damron, Troy Morgan, Rusty Marks, and Jennifer Dooley, of the WVDOT Public Relations Division, captured photographs of the historic structures while traveling around the state. Public Relations Division graphics designer Chris Moynahan laid out the poster.
While several of the structures have been retired from service and now serve as tourist attractions, many of the bridges still carry traffic on a daily basis.
For free, downloadable versions of the poster, CLICK HERE.
