The Covered Bridge in Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, is one of the last remaining covered bridges in that state, which once had about 40 covered bridges. Built in 1876 to cross Cedar Creek, the bridge is long and is made of pine with oak lattices. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is now used only for pedestrian traffic.HistoryThe bridge was built in 1876, the result of a petition by area farmers. It was constructed to serve as a permanent replacement for previous bridges that had washed out on various occasions. In 1927, an abutment was added under the center of the bridge to support heavier vehicle traffic, such as cars and trucks, which were not present at the time of the original construction.The Ozaukee County Board took over the bridge's preservation and maintenance in 1940.In 1960, Ozaukee County bought the bridge and surrounding land for $7,500 and developed the area into Covered Bridge County Park.After nearly a century of continuous use, the bridge began to suffer, with the heavy traffic loosening the planks. It was decided that the only way to preserve the bridge was to alleviate the burden. In 1962, the Park Commission made the choice to relocate the bridge by moving it off the abutments to a location approximately east of where it was. It was also restricted to pedestrian traffic. A second, modern bridge was built beside it to the west, only a few yards away. This new bridge is now used for vehicular traffic on the adjacent Covered Bridge Road. The original bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 14, 1973.
