Langley Covered Bridge, 21959 Schweitzer Road, Three Rivers MI

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.

 

West Michigan Covered Bridges in Fall ~ October 13, 2022

The 125-foot Ada Covered Bridge spans the Thornapple River and was originally built in 1867 by William Holmes. It closed to vehicle traffic in 1930 and became a pedestrian bridge. In 1979 it was destroyed by fire and this replica bridge was completed in 1980.

The Fallasburg Covered Bridge is 100 feet long and spans the Flat River. Originally built in 1871 by Jared N. Bresee, the bridge is still open to vehicle traffic.

Repairs and modifications have been made over the years to maintain the structure (in 2013 the bridge was damaged when a cement truck drove on it). Of the three bridges visited today, this is the only one that can claim to be original.

Whites Bridge is 120 feet long, also spans the Flat River, and was built in 1867 by Jared N. Bresee (spelled here as Brazee) and J.N. Walker.

In 2010, a person drove through the side of the bridge (I took this photo in 2012).

And in 2013, the bridge was completely destroyed by fire. It took years for it to get rebuilt but this replica bridge finally opened in 2020.

All three bridges were built with the truss system patented by Josiah Brown and are known as Brown Truss bridges. Happy Fall, y'all!