MECHANIC STREET BRIDGE
Lancaster, New Hampshire

Location:

East of U.S. Route 2 and 3 on Mechanic Street in Lancaster, spanning the Israels River.

Style of Bridge:

Paddleford truss

Year of Construction:

1862

Original Cost:

Unknowns

Structural Characteristics:

The bridge has a length of 94'3" with a clear span of 79'4". It has an overall width of 22'10", a roadway width of 19'3", and a maximum vertical clearance of 11'8". It is posted for six tons.

Maintained By:

Town of Lancaster

World Guide Number:

29-04-06

New Hampshire Number:

31

           

Historical Remarks:

At a meeting on July 19, 1862, shortly after the construction of the bridge, the citizens of Lancaster voted to instruct the selectmen to put a sign board at each end of the bridge that prohibited driving across the bridge at a pace faster than a walk. In 1962, Lancaster requested the state to provide an estimate for rehabilitation of the Mechanic Street covered bridge. The total cost was estimated to be $18,000 of which $10,800 was to be the responsibility of the town with the remainder to be furnished by the state. The town took no action on this estimate at their annual town meeting, however, the abutments were repaired in 1967 by the state. This bridge is also known as the Israels River Bridge. The Mechanic Street Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Table of Contents

New Hampshire Bridges

New Hampshire Covered Bridges
Compiled and edited by
Richard G. Marshall
Chief System Planning
New Hampshire Department of Transportation
Color photographs by Arthur F. Rounds
1994