For almost a year, residents living near the Sheard’s Mill Covered Bridge on the border of East Rockhill and Haycock townships lobbied PennDOT to make repairs on the 150-year-old gem that spans the Tohickon Creek. Among other notable deficiencies, the wooden decking was “like driving on railroad tracks,” said Petrona Charles.
In December, PennDOT officials acknowledged the need for some upgrades but said there were no funds in the budget to get the work done on a bridge that was essentially structurally sound.
And then seemingly out of nowhere, word came early last month that repairs would begin Jan. 30 and take about a month on the 15-foot-wide bridge that carries an average of 147 vehicles per day.
“We were thrilled,” said Charles, an East Rockhill resident. “It just proves that people working together can accomplish great things.”
For that, much of the credit goes to Bernie Dubois, who spearheaded the effort to raise awareness about the need for repairs on what she referred to as “our” bridge. Dubois rallied the community to discuss what work needed to be done and spent hours crafting detailed emails and making calls to PennDOT. She also met with bridge inspectors from PennDOT, “who seemed knowledgeable about the special restoration needs of our covered bridge,” she said.
Dubois also enlisted the aid of the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society and Visit Bucks County, the county’s tourism agency, to hammer home the need for repairs. In late fall, she convinced her U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and state Rep. Craig Staats to join the battle by writing letters of support.
After confirming the bridge’s condition with a personal visit, Staats took his concerns to officials in PennDOT’s District 6, which is responsible for Bucks County.
Still, the agency wouldn’t budge.
So imagine DuBois’ surprise when PennDOT let her know the work would begin at the end of January. She still isn’t sure what prompted the state’s change of heart, although hearing from a congressman and a state representative may have swayed the thinking a bit.
“As with any large organization, standard answers are sometimes changed at later dates to reflect the real circumstances because, as we know, circumstances change,” DuBois said. “However it occurred, we are glad that the funding was made available to keep this bridge serviceable to the community as a valuable piece of transportation as well as a treasured historic Bucks County bridge.”
The most pressing need was replacing all the deck boards and orienting them to run 130-foot length of the bridge rather than across the span. Charles said that arrangement should stand up better to vehicular traffic.
The roof, which will likely require the services of a contractor, may be addressed at a later date, said PennDOT spokesperson Robyn Briggs.
Of the 12 covered bridges remaining in Bucks County, three are owned and maintained by PennDOT — Van Sant in Tinicum and Mood’s in East Rockhill are the others. Bucks County is responsible for the other nine.
East Rockhill Board of Supervisors Chairman Dave Nyman said he appreciated necessary maintenance that is being done but said “making arrangements to have its ownership turned over to the county would be a longer term, more effective means of taking care of it.”
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