Built in 1854 and completed in 1855 at a cost of $6,000, Blenheim Bridge was the longest single-span covered bridge in the world and was recognized as the world's longest single-span two-lane wooden bridge, with a covered portion 232 feet long, trusses 228 feet long, a span of 210 feet between abutments, and a width of 26 feet. Its main feature was a single center arch, with oak beams hewed and spaced in three layers to allow for the natural movement of the wood; the arch rested on each abutment and reached the ridgepole at its center. The bridge was designed and built by Nicholas Montgomery Powers of Pittsford, Vermont's most famous covered bridge builder. Because of the span's size, citizens doubted it would stand and talk of "Powers' Folly" spread, so on the day workers removed the scaffolding, Powers sat on the ridgepole to show his faith in the design. By 1855, inexpensive iron made available by the Industrial Revolution allowed Powers to use large iron bolts and rods to assemble the bridge quickly and easily, marking a transition from barn-like construction to later iron bridges. The bridge carried heavy traffic, including up to eight 13-15 ton trucks at one time, until 1930, when failure of a connecting 1885 iron bridge and the need to straighten the approach for longer, wider loads led to a new steel bridge bypassing the wooden one, which Schoharie County then took over and maintained. The 1930 steel bridge was replaced in 2006. After Hurricane Irene on August 27-28, 2011, efforts got underway to recover and preserve pieces of the original bridge, with the community hoping to use as much original material as possible in reconstructing it and retaining its National Historic Landmark status.