Matthew Farfan

After years of pressure from local heritage activists Bev and Milt Loomis and others, the town of Waterville has finally decided it wants to protect the covered bridge in Milby. The structure, which dates back to 1873, is one of the oldest covered bridges still standing in the province.

Spanning the Moe River, it measures a modest 75 feet (30 metres) in length, and was built in the traditional style known as the "Town lattice." The bridge has undergone some repairs over the years, but these have generally employed methods and materials appropriate to covered bridge construction. For example, the modern tin roof was replaced some years back with a roof of authentic cedar shingles. And a number of the wooden pegs ("trunnels"), which were holding the trusses together and beginning to rot, were replaced with identical pegs.

Milby bridge before it was closed to traffic. (Photo: Matthew Farfan)

In general, the bridge has fairly well, due in part to the fact that it is located on a little-used side road. It also retains many of its original elements, including its "tree knees," corner braces hand-hewn from the limbs of trees. In terms of heritage value, the Ministry of Culture gives it a very high rating, relative to other covered bridges in the province.

The Milby bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 2003 following the recommendations of the Ministry of Transport, the Stanstead Journal reported last week. The town, according to the paper, has just established a committee to oversee the bridge. It is composed of the mayor, three councillors, the town's director-general, and a resident of Milby. In the Journal, Waterville director-general Kimball Smith is quoted as saying that the committee will have to decide whether to rebuild the bridge "for heritage purposes or to have it used [by vehicles] again." And whether the municipality receives government funding to restore the bridge will depend on the level of interest within the community. "The ministry will not fund anything unless there is some kind of initiative from the municipality or a citizen's group," Smith said.