This is Michigan's longest wooden covered bridge still in existence. It was built from white pine in 1887 using Howe-truss construction. When the Sturgis Dam was built in 1910, the bridge had to be raised eight feet.
The bridge and the causeway cross the St. Joseph River. In 1950-51, a new under structure was installed and in 2008-09, the roof was replaced; asphalt was removed and returned to wood planking. Steel underpinnings were replaced in 2023.
The bridge is 282 feet across and consists of three 94 foot spans. There are height (7 feet), weight (3 tons), and width restrictions (one lane). And no trucks are allowed as per the signage ("Your GPS Is Wrong").
Traffic was fairly constant so we didn't have much time to walk onto the bridge. Being a one lane bridge, cars have to take turns crossing and we finally did the same. Langley Bridge doesn't have the charm of say Fallasburg Bridge but it is certainly historic and in a pretty setting.
One more thing I now know and didn’t before
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