Bissell Bridge in Charlemont, Massachusetts, carries Heath Road over Mill Brook and reflects both engineering continuity and local attachment to a traditional covered span. An earlier covered bridge was built here in the early 1880s, but by the mid-20th century it had decayed so badly that the state condemned it. Strong local opposition to a modern steel-and-concrete replacement led to a compromise: the present 1951 covered bridge, a near replica of the old one adapted for modern road use. Built by the T. J. Harvey Company, it was the first covered bridge constructed in Massachusetts in the 20th century and was later rehabilitated and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Charlemont, Massachusetts · USA