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47-605: The Hartland Covered Bridge (French: Pont couvert de Hartland ) or Hartland Bridge is the world's longest covered bridge at 1,282 feet (391 m) in length. Located in New Brunswick , Canada , the bridge crosses the Saint John River , joining the Carleton County communities of Hartland and Somerville . The framework consists of seven small Howe Truss bridges joined on six piers. The bridge

94-478: A bridge, they hoped to recoup their investment by charging tolls for people, animals, vehicles, and goods to cross it. The original London Bridge across the river Thames opened as a toll bridge, but an accumulation of funds by the charitable trust that operated the bridge ( Bridge House Estates ) saw that the charges were dropped. Using interest on its capital assets, the trust now owns and runs all seven central London bridges at no cost to taxpayers or users. In

141-569: A dedicated source of funds for ongoing maintenance and improvements. Sometimes citizens revolt against toll plazas, as was the case in Jacksonville, Florida . Tolls were in place on four bridges crossing the St. Johns River, including I-95. These tolls paid for the respective bridges as well as many other highway projects. As Jacksonville continued to grow, the tolls created bottlenecks on the roadway. In 1988, Jacksonville voters chose to eliminate all

188-564: A doctor from Hartland, became the first person to cross the Hartland Bridge one day before its official opening; he received an emergency call when workers were finalizing construction. Following its completion and use before the official opening, the bridge generated around $ 8 to $ 12 daily in toll revenue, deemed "very satisfactory". The opening ceremony was scheduled for July 4, 1901, with invitations announced shortly beforehand. Prominent individuals, including government members, attended

235-466: A form of triple taxation, and that toll collection is a very inefficient means of funding the development of highway infrastructure. Nakamura and Kockelman (2002) show that tolls are by nature regressive, shifting the burden of taxation disproportionately to the poor and middle classes. Electronic toll collection , branded under names such as EZ-Pass, SunPass, IPass, FasTrak, Treo, GoodToGo, and 407ETR, became increasingly prevalent to metropolitan areas in

282-767: A mile in length, but was destroyed by ice and flooding in 1832. The longest, historical covered bridges remaining in the United States are the Cornish–Windsor Bridge , spanning the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont, and Medora Bridge , spanning the East Fork of the White River in Indiana. Both lay some claim to the superlative depending upon how the length is measured. In

329-502: A petition for its abolition was held. On October 10, 1902, a local delegation requested the government to take over ownership and make the bridge free. The provincial government purchased the bridge for $ 5,461.71 that year, and the toll system was removed on May 1, 1906, following an earlier announcement. On July 15, 1907, a fire broke out near the bridge, causing over $ 130,000 in damages to nearby businesses. The bridge and its toll house had "narrow[ly] escape[d] from destruction." The fire

376-466: A political issue. There were calls to address its maintenance and replace it with a steel structure. Preparations for repairs began in November 1919. By early January 1920, construction work was underway, and traffic was closed due to an ice bridge . On April 6, 1920, heavy rainfall caused a freshet as well as ice to damage the west side of the bridge, resulting in two spans collapsing. In response to

423-402: A region may incur e-toll tag fees imposed by their rental car company. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 identified and attempted to address a similar problem associated with the government collection of information. Approvals were to be secured by government agencies before promulgating a paper form, website, survey or electronic submission that will impose an information collection burden on

470-575: A story from the Hartland Advertiser on November 15, providing an update on bridge development, indicating that the Hartland Bridge Company has begun purchasing land for the site(s) of the bridge pier . By December 13, 1899, the tender was awarded to Albert Brewer for $ 27,945, the lowest bid. The bridge's construction was expected to completed within one year. Construction materials were being shipped by February 1900, and

517-567: A structural survey found a "downward bend," leading to the bridge's closure for repairs. When it reopened in late December 2023, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure announced a load limit reduction from ten tonnes to three tonnes "until further notice". The Hartland Covered Bridge is the longest covered bridge in the world. Parks Canada lists the bridge's span as 390.75 metres, or approximately 1,282 feet. Guinness World Records rounds this up to 391 metres, "from one bank to

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564-637: The James River , and the 4.5-mile long James River Bridge 80 miles downstream which carries U.S. Highway 17 across the river of the same name near its mouth at Hampton Roads . In other cases, especially major facilities such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge near Annapolis, Maryland , and the George Washington Bridge over Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey , the continued collection of tolls provides

611-652: The Trans-Canada Highway , the bridge connects New Brunswick Route 103 (Somerville side) to New Brunswick Route 105 (Hartland side). As the world's longest covered bridge , it is often visited by tourists. It only contains one lane. Historically, the Saint John River was crossed in the area ferry . The need for a bridge in Hartland became a political issue in the late 19th century. In 1896, Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick member Allan Dibblee advocated for its construction, threatening to oppose

658-432: The "Toll Collect" syndicate after much negative publicity. The term "Toll Collect" became a popular byword among Germans used to describe everything wrong with their national economy. It has become increasingly common for a toll bridge to only charge a fee in one direction. This helps reduce the traffic congestion in the other direction, and generally does not significantly reduce revenue, especially when those travelling

705-676: The 1820s. Extant bridges from that decade include New York 's Hyde Hall Bridge and Pennsylvania 's Hassenplug Bridge , both built in 1825, and the Haverhill–Bath Covered Bridge and the Roberts Covered Bridge , in New Hampshire and Ohio respectively, both built in 1829. The longest covered bridge ever built was constructed in 1814 in Lancaster County , Pennsylvania, and spanned over

752-668: The 1950s, peaking at about 400 covered bridges. These mostly used the Howe, Town, and Burr trusses. Today, there are 58 covered bridges in New Brunswick , including the world's longest, the Hartland Bridge . Ontario has just one remaining covered bridge, the West Montrose Covered Bridge . Roofed, rather than covered bridges, have existed for centuries in southern Europe and Asia. In these cases,

799-645: The 19th century, including the earliest renditions of the Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge in Pennsylvania , though such bridges have since ceased to exist. The bridge has one lane. It has a usual load limit of ten tonnes , which has since been reduced to three tonnes after being re-opened in December 2023 following maintenance work. Heavier vehicles must detour using the nearby Hugh John Flemming Bridge . A small covered walkway , in place since

846-669: The 21st century. Amy Finkelstien, a public finance economist at MIT, reports that as the fraction of drivers using electronic toll collection increased, typically toll rates increased as well, because people were less aware of how much they were paying in tolls. Electronic tolling proposals that represented the shadow price of electronic toll collection (instead of the TSC) may have misled decision-makers. The general public has additionally endured an increased administrative burden associated with paying toll bills and navigating toll collection company on-line billing systems. Additionally, visitors to

893-531: The U.S., although it states that only 670 of those were standing when the 1959 edition was published. The tallest (35 feet high), built in 1892, is the Felton Covered Bridge , just north of Santa Cruz, California . Between 1969 and 2015, the number of surviving covered bridges in Canada declined from about 400 to under 200. In 1900, Quebec had an estimated 1,000 covered bridges. Relative to

940-432: The United States, private ownership of toll bridges peaked in the mid-19th century, and by the turn of the 20th century most toll bridges were taken over by state highway departments. In some instances, a quasi-governmental authority was formed, and toll revenue bonds were issued to raise funds for construction or operation (or both) of the facility. Peters and Kramer observed that "little research has been done to quantify

987-460: The bridge began in 1898. As a result of the issue, efforts to incorporate the Hartland Bridge Company were made in early 1899. On October 9, 1899, the Hartland Bridge Company submitted construction plans with the Minister of Public Works . A public notice calling for contractor tenders was issued by The Royal Gazette on October 25, 1899, with a deadline of November 20. The Dispatch featured

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1034-432: The bridge was to have seven piers and two abutments . By April 1900, three piers were built, with an estimated completion "by next November." In March 1901, the Hartland Advertiser reported the bridge was "now completed as far as the actual construction is concerned," with the flooring still to be added before it could open to the public. Charles McCormac, president of the Hartland Bridge Company, sought discussions with

1081-583: The bridge. The bridge was designated a National Historic Site on November 17, 1977, and a Provincial Historic Site under the Heritage Conservation Act on September 15, 1999. In 2006, Hartland contributed a wooden piece of the bridge to the Six String Nation project's Voyageur guitar. For its 111th anniversary on July 4, 2012, the bridge was celebrated with a Google Doodle on Google 's Canadian homepage. In October 2023,

1128-413: The ceremony, which drew "nearly 4,000 people from surrounding villages and the countryside". Provincial government members present included Premier Lemuel John Tweedie , Stephen Burpee Appleby , Harrison A. McKeown , and Charles H. LaBillois . The bridge was not originally built covered. The Hartland Bridge utilized a toll system , which saw opposition voiced as early as February 1902, during which

1175-537: The cover is to protect the users of the bridge rather than the structure. Examples include: In addition to being practical, covered bridges were popular venues for a variety of social activities and are an enduring cultural icon; for example: Toll bridge The practice of collecting tolls on bridges harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large loads, ferry operators looked for new sources of revenue. Having built

1222-468: The damage, there was a controversial proposal to convert the Hartland Bridge into a covered bridge . Benjamin Franklin Smith , a legislative member representing Carleton , opposed the idea, with The Daily Gleaner summarizing his opinion of it as being "considerable of a menace". In late April 1920, the legislature passed an act guaranteeing the reconstruction of the bridge. Reconstruction of

1269-438: The effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge can last over 100 years. In the United States, only about 1 in 10 survived the 20th century. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect, and the high cost of restoration. Surviving covered bridges often attract touristic attention due to their rarity, quaint appearance, and bucolic settings. Many are considered historic and have been

1316-484: The financial stress of lost toll revenue to the authority determining the levy. One such example of shunpiking as a form of boycott occurred at the James River Bridge in eastern Virginia . After years of lower-than-anticipated revenues on the narrow privately funded structure built in 1928, the state of Virginia finally purchased the facility in 1949 and increased the tolls in 1955 without visibly improving

1363-555: The general public. However, the act did not anticipate and thus address the burden on the public associated with funding infrastructure via electronic toll collection instead of through more traditional forms of taxation. In some instances, tolls have been removed after retirement of the toll revenue bonds issued to raise funds. Examples include the Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge in Richmond, Virginia which carries U.S. Route 1 across

1410-473: The government about implementing bridge tolls , proposing costs of "3c for foot passengers , 6c for single teams, and 12c for double teams." By late April 1901, progress on the bridge was described as "all floored but the span on the west end." The bridge was opened on May 14, 1901. On June 12, 1901, The Daily Gleaner reported that construction was nearly finished, with a formal opening planned to be held "sometime during July." On May 13, 1901, A. W. Estey,

1457-412: The government if a grant was not received. At that time, the government allocated $ 400,000 (equivalent to $ 18,763,810 in 2023) for constructing new bridges. Proposals for a Hartland bridge began as early as 1895. A letter to the Hartland Advertiser in December 1897 highlighted the importance a bridge would have for residents "within a radius of five or six miles" from Hartland. Initial planning for

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1504-472: The impact of toll collection on society as a whole" and therefore they published a comprehensive analysis of the Total Societal Cost (TSC) associated with toll collection as a means of taxation. TSC is the sum of administrative, compliance, fuel and pollution costs. In 2000 they estimated it to be $ 56,914,732, or 37.3% of revenue collected. They also found that a user of a toll road is subject to

1551-426: The mid-1940s, is attached to the side of the bridge and allows pedestrian access. Covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber- truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of

1598-525: The mid-19th century, the use of cheaper wrought iron and cast iron led to metal rather than timber trusses. Metal structures did not need protection from the elements, so they no longer needed to be covered. The bridges also became obsolete because most were single-lane, had low width and height clearances, and could not support the heavy loads of modern traffic. As of 2004 , there were about 750 left, mostly in eastern and northern states. The 2021 World Guide to Covered Bridges lists 840 covered bridges in

1645-509: The most popular designs was the Burr Truss , patented in 1817, which used an arch to bear the load, while the trusses kept the bridge rigid. Other designs included the King , Queen , Lattice , and Howe trusses . Early trusses were designed with only a rough understanding of the engineering dynamics at work. In 1847, American engineer Squire Whipple published the first correct analysis of

1692-416: The one direction are forced to come back over the same or a different toll bridge. A practice known as shunpiking evolved which entails finding another route for the specific purpose of avoiding payment of tolls. In some situations where the tolls were increased or felt to be unreasonably high, informal shunpiking by individuals escalated into a form of boycott by regular users, with the goal of applying

1739-518: The other." Of its seven spans, five are 51 metres (167 ft), and two are 43.9 metres (144 ft). It is also the longest covered bridge ever constructed in Canada, the second-longest being a 377 metres (1,237 ft) long bridge on the Batiscan river in Quebec , used between 1844 and 1870. It is not the longest covered bridge that has ever been built; some longer bridges have been built earlier in

1786-576: The piers began around August 1920, with an estimate to hire "upwards of 100 men". Repairs were completed by the following year, and the bridge reopened to traffic on March 7, 1921. A roof was added to the bridge that same year. Starting in April 1925, repairs were made to the bridge's floor to address noise complaints. The Hartland Covered Bridge, like many other covered bridges in New Brunswick, has suffered damage from weather , vandalism , and vehicle accidents . In 1970, heavy trucks were barred from crossing

1833-633: The precise ways that a load is carried through the components of a truss, which enabled him to design stronger bridges with fewer materials. About 14,000 covered bridges have been built in the United States, mostly in the years 1825 to 1875. The first documented was the Permanent Bridge , completed in 1805 to span the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia . However, most other early examples of covered bridges do not appear until

1880-571: The rest of North America, Quebec was late in building covered bridges, with the busiest decade for construction being the 1930s. Initially, the designs were varied, but around 1905, the design was standardised to the Town québécois , a variant on the lattice truss patented by Ithiel Town in 1820. The designer is unknown. About 500 of these were built in the first half of the 20th century. They were often built by local settlers using local materials, according to standard plans. The last agricultural colony

1927-600: The subject of historic preservation campaigns. Typically, covered bridges are structures with longitudinal timber-trusses which form the bridge's backbone. Some were built as railway bridges, using very heavy timbers and doubled up lattice work. In Canada and the U.S., numerous timber covered bridges were built in the late 1700s to the late 1800s, reminiscent of earlier designs in Germany and Switzerland . They tend to be in isolated places, making them vulnerable to vandalism and arson. The oldest surviving truss bridge in

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1974-593: The toll booths and replace the revenue with a ½ cent sales tax increase. In 1989, the toll booths were removed, 36 years after the first toll booth went up. In Scotland , the Scottish Parliament purchased the Skye Bridge from its owners in late 2004, ending the requirement to pay an unpopular expensive toll to cross to Skye from the mainland. In 2004, the German government cancelled a contract with

2021-638: The world is the Kapellbrücke in Switzerland, first built in the 1300s. Modern-style timber truss bridges were pioneered in Switzerland in the mid-1700s. Germany has 70 surviving historic wooden covered bridges. Most bridges were built to cross streams, and the majority had just a single span . Virtually all contained a single lane. A few two-lane bridges were built, having a third, central truss. Many different truss designs were used. One of

2068-436: Was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1977, and a Provincial Heritage Place in New Brunswick under the Heritage Conservation Act in 1999. The Hartland Bridge originally opened in 1901 after planning and construction work dating back to around 1898, though its construction had been proposed and discussed earlier. It was initially uncovered and a toll bridge . The Hartland Covered Bridge became covered after it

2115-714: Was founded in 1948, and the last bridge was built by the Ministry of Colonisation in 1958 in Lebel-sur-Quévillon . There are now 82 covered bridges in Quebec, Transports Québec including the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge , the province's longest covered bridge. In Quebec covered bridges were sometimes known as pont rouges (red bridges) because of their typical colour. Like Quebec, New Brunswick continued to build covered bridges into

2162-415: Was quickly suspected to have been started with an incendiary device . A man was arrested and charged five days afterwards, but was later released before trial due to insufficient evidence . In March 1909, a local news item on The Daily Gleaner reported that a contract for supplying materials for re-flooring the bridge had been awarded. By the late 1910s, the bridge's deteriorating condition had become

2209-417: Was rebuilt when it became structurally damaged by weather in early 1920. Today, it is used primarily as a tourist attraction , featuring only one lane as well as load and height limits. The Hartland Covered Bridge is located on the 0.303 km (0.188 mi) long Hartland Bridge Hill Road. It crosses the Saint John River , connecting the Carleton County towns Hartland and Somerville . Formerly part of

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