Pine Valley Covered Bridge
(Iron Hill Bridge)
NBI Information
Location
State: Pennsylvania
County: Bucks County
Feature Carried: Keeley Avenue
Feature Crossed: Pine Run
Latitude, Longitude: 40.3052, -75.1873
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: County Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Posted for load (may include other restrictions such as temporary bridges which are load posted)
History
Year Built: 1906
Historical Significance: Historical significance is not determinable at this time.
Year Reconstructed: 1985
Picture Date: May 3, 2025
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 1
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 1
Main Structure Type: Stringer/Multi-beam or Girder
Main Structure Material: Steel
Number of Approach Spans: None
Approach Structure Type: None
Approach Structure Material: None
Condition
Inspection Date: September 2022
Deck Condition: Good
Superstructure Condition: Satisfactory
Substructure Condition: Satisfactory
Channel Condition: Fair
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2024
Bridge Information
The Pine Valley Covered Bridge was constructed in 1842. It is the second oldest covered bridge in Bucks County and is also the most traveled. The bridge was built out of native hemlock and pine and was named after a stand of nearby trees. It is a single span town truss covered bridge.
Over the years, this bridge has been targeted by arsonists and has had run-ins with several trucks. It survived a fire in 1911 and was almost demolished in 1924. An arsonist set fire to the bridge in two places on July 4, 1968, but the local firefighters were able to save the span. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1985 to make the bridge capable of supporting heavy traffic. It was rehabilitated again in 2007 after the bridge was damaged from a hit-and-run accident with a truck. At some point, steel girders were added to the underside of the bridge to support the load.
In 2019, Bucks County began the county's first-ever comprehensive covered bridge repair project. This project included 7 landmark bridges in the county. The Pine Valley Covered Bridge was included in this project and reopened on September 3, 2020, after two months of repairs.
References
