Why Do Covered Bridges Have Roofs

The bridges were made of wood and open to the harsh weather.

Why do covered bridges have roofs.

As to why covered bridges were built some reckon that the roofs protected the beams from rotting or from freezing in bad weather. With a roof to protect the. Truth is one of the jobs of a bridge tender in the old days was spreading snow on the floor of a covered bridge in winter so sleighs could get across. There has to be a bridge operator so these types of bridges have more stuff.

Have you ever wondered why contractors install gravel on flat roofs. Constant exposure to sun snow and rain left wooden bridges with a useful life of about a decade. A covered bridge is a timber truss bridge with a roof decking and siding which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. Covered bridges were also covered to keep the rain off the wooden deck of the bridge which would make it very slippery.

To protect the underlying layer of roofing materials as is the case with built up roofs burs. A covered bridge is a technical name for a specific kind of structure not just any bridge with a roof. Covered bridges evoke nostalgia in the american landscape. The roofs on covered bridges also kept the snow off the bridge.

Others say that since these bridges look like barns animals would cross without fear. A surprising number are on roads providing motorists with a brief back in time experience. A few characters say the bridges were covered to prevent horses from getting spooked when they realized they were above flowing water but about this theory we will not even speak. True covered bridges are defined by a timber truss or frame that distributes the weight of.

The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. In fact the covers were designed to protect the bridge itself. Some also say the roof and walls on a covered bridge covered up the ugly trusses and also provided shelter in bad weather. The roofs served 2 purposes.

On many flat roof low slope commercial buildings it s common to see gravel on top of the roof. If so you might have wondered why it was covered with a roof. In your travels have you ever driven or walked across one.