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Jericho Covered Bridge

Be sure to read about the rehabilitation of Jericho Bridge at the bottom of this page and visit the news link for more photos.
2015-16 Rehabilitation Photos
Jericho Photo Gallery
County World Guide # Crosses Built Truss Spans Length Coordinates Location
Baltimore & Harford MD-03-02 & MD-12-01 Little Gunpowder Falls 1865 Burr
MKP
Queen
1 87'-10" N39°27'35"
W76°23'15"
Near Kingsville. From I-95 northeast of Baltimore City, take Exit 74 Mountain Rd north 2 miles to Jerusalem Rd, left for 1 mile to Jericho Rd, left to bridge.
Jericho 1936David Lee II, one of the mill owners in the communities known as Jericho and Jerusalem and considered to be the overseer of the roads in the area, lobbied for a bridge to connect the cotton mills of Jericho, a spade factory and wrought iron works in Franklinville, Baltimore County, with the flour mills and blacksmith shops in Jerusalem, Harford County. His father, Ralph Sackett Lee was successful over thirty years earlier at having a covered bridge built next to the Jerusalem Mill that also connected Baltimore and Harford Counties. Thomas Forsyth, a Baltimore machinist completed construction of Jericho Covered Bridge in December of 1865 at a cost of $3,125. Both bridges spanned the Little Gunpowder Falls only about one half mile apart.
Jericho 2008Jericho came upon hard times over the years having gone through major rehabilitation processes in 1937 and 1983. During the 1937 rehabilitation a Queenpost Truss was added to its Burr Arch and Multiple Kingpost Truss. The Queenpost Truss stretched across all ten side panel sections of the bridge. Metal braces, tie rods, new flooring and new walls were also added. Still, the bridge was closed again in December of 1980 for fear the flooring was unsafe for travel. Jericho was rehabilitated at a cost of $280,000 and reopened on July 7,1983. Part of the repairs included installing a flooring consisting of 2" X 4" boards, set on edge and adding five steel reinforcing girders hidden underneath its deck for support to a portion of the travel section of the bridge. The reinforcing steel allowed for a safe vehicle weight of 15 tons to cross. Also, a new roof and repairs to the masonry abutments were completed. At 14' high, old Jericho Bridge is tall enough for fire trucks and school buses to cross.
In 2009 the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program awarded a grant of $1.328 million for the rehabilitation of Jericho Bridge. Originally, $80,000 in local funding by Harford and Baltimore counties increased the amount available and subsuquent funding brought the total of all funding to approximately $1.7 million. Bids to rehabilitate Jericho were sealed on September 30, 2014. The contract was awarded to Kingsley Construction, Inc., the same company that rehabilitated Gilpin's Falls Bridge in 2009-10. Work included replacing all damaged heavy timber, a new cedar shingle roof, new floor, install a security camera, painting and fire retardant, anti-graffiti coating, repairs to abutments, new guard rails and addition of outside overheight protection system (often referred to as headache bars). Jericho Bridge was closed to traffic on March 31, 2015.
Jericho 2016Tim Andrews of Barns and Bridges of New England was the contractor for the heavy timber replacement for Jericho Bridge. By the end of April, 2015 all of the siding was removed as well as the roof. The Harford County side wingwalls were removed so the bridge could be "rolled" off from over the stream to Jericho Road. The bridge was lifted from the flooring, cribbed, then removed from over the stream in June of 2015. By August, the steel supports were cleaned, primed and painted and a new flooring installed. By November all heavy timber requiring replacement was completed and the bridge was rolled back over the new flooring. About 25% of the heavy timber needed replacing. In late November work began to rebuild the portals, install new siding, a new cedar shingle roof, and wingwalls on the Harford County side were rebuilt. Eventually, the surveillance system was installed, overhead protection system, painting, fire retardant and new guard rails. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on April 25, 2016 attended by approximately 150 people.
Jericho Covered Bridge was added to National Register of Historic Places on September 13,1978 and is also on the Baltimore County Landmarks List.

Bridge Specifications
Bridge Name: Jericho Length at Center: 87'-10" (sloping portal extends 6'-5" each end) Height to Peak: Approximately 17'-8" S end; Approximately 17'-8" N end
Alternate Name(s): None Width Roadway: 13'-0" S end; 13'-1" N end Maximum Height at Portal Entrance: Approximately 12'-8" S end; Approximately 12'-8" N end
Alignment: S to N Width Portal Opening: 17'-4" S end; 17'-1" N end Posted Height Restriction: 12'-1"
Distance Above Water (variable): 10'-8" Width Outside Dimensions: 18'-3" SE end; 18'-3" NW end Roof Overhang-Side: Approximately 0'-6" each side
Panels: 10 each side Posted Weight Restriction: 24 tons Roof Overhang-Ends: 0'-6" each end

Maryland Covered Bridges
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