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Located two and one-half miles northeast of Sheffield, the Benetka Road Covered Bridge spans the Ashtabula River, the major drainage channel in Ashtabula County. Built in 1900, the Bridge is 115-feet long and has a Town lattice truss with laminated Burr arches.

Prior to restoration in 1985, the Bridge had problems that prohibited its use by daily traffic. It had a low flood clearance, a three ton load limit and low traffic height clearance. Creative expertise went into the restoration of this bridge. A nine-inch wide, by 38-inch deep, arch was constructed out of one inch yellow poplar lumber. These one inch boards were dried and salt treated, then glued and spiked together. The result is a beautifully huge, multi-layer arch that enables the Bridge to accept the heavy traffic necessitated by the local comunity. The enormous arches are also aesthetically very pleasing. Additional height clearance was obtained by attaching the floor beams under the chords rather than on the chords. The bridge was raised, which increased flood water clearance by two feet. The exterior was re-sided with redwood and has a shingled roof.

The Interior of the bridge is geometrically exciting because of the massive arches combined with the lattice truss. There is easy access to the creek bed surrounding the Bridge site. The Bridge is extremely photogenic with a long narrow window and the redwood siding reflecting in the river pool. (Covered Bridges Today 1989 by Brenda Krekeler)

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Benetka Road Covered Bridge

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