The Girl Scout Road Covered Bridge, also known as the Mercer or Shoults Covered Bridge, was built in 1879. The covered bridge spans Wakatomika Creek which drains a small portion of the far northeastern section of Licking County. This bridge was built in 1879 with the same truss design as the Boy Scout Bridge Covered Bridge. In the covered bridge reference books, the truss is identified as a Multiple King Post Truss, but the Girl Scout Covered Bridge does not have the traditional kingpost center panel. Instead, the center panel is empty. The floor is laid horizontally and the bridge also features red plank siding with a small window on one side.

In 2002, a local resident Ned Grewell asked the Licking County Commissioners for money to cover his expenses for materials, $7400.00. He and his relatives and friends repaired and refurbished the bridge that had its main timbers exposed. Sideboards were replaced and the bridge has once again been repainted red. The exterior has a new metal roof and new roof trusses. The bridge is still open to vehicular traffic.

Licking County is crisscrossed by rivers, creeks, and at one time, canals. Because of this geographical characteristic, the county is home to a large number of bridges. In years past, Licking County could boast over 150 wood truss bridges. It’s possible that there were even more at one time, but unfortunately, the Licking County Commissioners’ Journals are missing from the years 1866-1875, so we do not know for certain how many bridges were built during that time.

Dimensions: Length of largest span:  66.8 ft.;  total length: 70.8 ft.;  deck width: 12.0 ft.;  vertical clearance above deck: 12.8 ft. with a 5-ton weight limit.

Located at:  N40 14.003    W82 14.985     -     WGCB #35-45-05

Photographed in May 2022