Historic Hollow Road Covered Bridge reopens

State officials have announced the reopening of the historic Hollow Road (Sheeder Hall) Covered Bridge over the French Creek between French Creek Road and Pughtown Road in West Vincent and East Vincent townships, following the completion of a $450,000 rehabilitation project.

“Built in 1850, Sheeder Hall is one of the many covered bridges in the Commonwealth that we want to preserve,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a press release. “People are enamored by the unique architecture of structures like this in Chester County, and we feel like we’ve preserved something for the community that can be enjoyed now and well into the future.”

The single lane steel Ibeam covered bridge, which was reconstructed in 1996, had been closed since November 2016 due to structural damage sustained from impact by a large vehicle.

The single-span bridge is 102 feet long and 15 feet wide. The bridge carried an average of 1,007 vehicles a day prior to its closure.

The Hollow Road (Sheeder Hall) Covered Bridge over French Creek is one of four covered bridges in Chester County PennDOT repaired as part of a $3.7 million covered bridge improvement project.

The other bridges completed under this project include the Speakman Covered Bridge over Buck Run on Frog Hollow Road in West Marlborough and East Fallowfield townships; the Rapps Dam Covered Bridge on Rapps Dam Road in East Pikeland Township; and the Knox Covered Bridge on Yellow Springs Road in Valley Forge National Historical Park and Tredyffrin Township.

Eastern Highway Specialists Inc. of Wilmington, Del., was the general contractor on the project financed by a combination of federal and state funds.

For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those made possible by or accelerated by Act 89, or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov.