Hurricane Ida punished her. But South Perkasie Covered Bridge is making a comeback

Three years after Hurricane Ida swept one of Bucks County’s iconic covered bridges from its concrete supports, repairs will begin.

The $195,030 contract for engineering and rehab of the nearly 200-year-old South Perkasie Covered bridge was given to Wood Research and Development, of Oregon and Florida. The move came after a unanimous vote by the Perkasie Borough Council on Sept. 3.

About $1 million is to go toward the repairs.

The bulk of the repair will be paid by federal and state grant money, the council said in a statement. Wood Research was among seven companies bidding on the job.

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“We were fortunate to have some of the best firms in the country interested in the project, because of the South Perkasie Covered Bridge’s unique status,” Scott Bomboy, chair of the council’s historical committee, said in the statement.

“It is the third-oldest Town Lattice style covered bridge in the United States and a special example of an original covered bridge. We intend to keep as much of the bridge intact as possible, including all the ‘carvings’ inside the bridge.”

Bomboy also chairs the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society. In 2023 he published “Wooden Treasures: The Story of Bucks County's Covered Bridges.”

The repairs are to begin in early October, and are expected to be finished in January 2025.

More construction contracts for timber and stone are to be awarded next year. The covered bridge is to reopen to the public in August 2025, the borough said.

The South Perkasie span is unique among the county’s covered bridges because it sits in Lenape Park, on land.

From its construction in 1832 until the late 1950s, it spanned the Pleasant Spring Creek. But as the local population grew, so did automobile traffic. The bridge wasn't engineered to carry a lot of traffic.

After it was condemned, locals rallied and saved it.

In 1958, in a story that attracted national attention, the bridge was removed from its creek location and slowly moved nearly a mile to the park. Everything about the old span has been kept intact, including its famous hand-lettered sign: “$5.00 fine for any person riding or driving over this bridge faster than a walk or smoking a segar on.”

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Hurricane Ida threatens historic Bucks County covered bridge

In 2021, remnants of Hurricane Ida caused flooding that swept the bridge from its stone abutments, heaving it a few feet over and listing heavily on its left side.

The remains of Hurricane Ida blew through the region that September, leaving widespread and devastating damage. The storm spawned four tornadoes in Bucks and Montgomery counties, the strongest of which, an EF-2 with winds up to 130 mph, hitting Horsham and Upper Dublin, where one woman died when a tree fell on her home.

The storm also brought between 4 and 8 inches of rain to Bucks and Montgomery counties, adding to already record rainfall for the summer and leading to significant flooding, including in Perkasie. Two people died in Montgomery County due to flooding, and a Montgomery County resident died in Upper Bucks County when his vehicle was swept away in a flash flood.

The damage to the bridge became a symbol of the destruction of Mother Nature.

For residents, it was a heartbreaking sight. So beloved is the bridge that about $120,000 was raised by the public to restore it.

The bridge is to remain in the park. Enhancements include raising it above the 100-year flood plain, which is about 4 feet higher than its current elevation. It's also to receive a fresh coat of fireproof paint.

Bucks County covered bridges

Bucks County has 12 covered bridges, and 10 still carry daily traffic. At one time, there were at least 51 covered bridges in Bucks County, many over the Delaware River and Neshaminy Creek.

The most-often asked question about the bridges: "Why are they covered?" Answers range from keeping horses calm while crossing water to shelter for travelers caught in storms.

But the real reason is maintenance. A covered bridge built in the 19th century extended the life of the deck by seven times. Also, people have always loved the storybook look of a covered span.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.