New Henniker Bridge

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New Henniker Bridge, also called New Bridge, was a covered wooden bridge in West Hopkinton, New Hampshire. It carried Henniker Road over the Contoocook River.

History
The site’s first bridge was a stone arch, built in 1845, which was washed away by a flood in 1852. The present covered bridge was completed in 1863 as the second bridge at the site. It was built by John C. Briggs and cost about $2,500.

The 1863 bridge was one big span, about 180 feet long (55 meters) and 20 feet wide (6 meters), standing roughly 22 feet high. It used two wooden lattice trusses (a Briggs Truss) resting on granite abutments. The structure was all timber within a trough-like construction and relied on stone piers at the ends.

Damage and replacement
In 1935, flood damage led to repairs, but in 1936 a new steel truss bridge was built just north of the old bridge for traffic. The covered bridge was removed and no longer exists.

Today
The site is noted by the Historic American Buildings Survey as HABS NH-30. The bridge was owned by the Town of Hopkinton.