The 1877 Lincoln Covered Bridge spans the Ottauquechee River in West Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont, built by R.W. Pinney and B.H. Pinney (of Bridgewater and Woodstock, respectively), about thirty years after the Pratt truss was patented.

According to covered bridge historian Richard S. Allen, it is the only known surviving use of the Pratt truss in wood; this form is seen much more widely in later metal bridges. It is a single span, 136 feet in length, resting on concrete and stone abutments, and is 18.5 feet wide with a roadway width of 14 feet (one lane) and a vertical clearance above deck clearance of 9 ft. The bridge is supported by two arch trusses, which are sheltered by a post-and-beam structure finished with a metal standing seam roof and vertical board siding. The trusses are a variant of the Pratt truss, with laminated arches supporting the deck by a combination of wooden and iron verticals, with iron cross bracing.

In 1989, the bridge was rehabilitated and strengthened by the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The purpose of the project was to restore the structure to its original condition and increase its load-carrying capacity to safely carry emergency vehicles. Restoration focused primarily on rebuilding the ends of the top and bottom chords of the trusses that had deteriorated over the previous century. All of the restoration work was performed using materials and details as close to the original as possible. The increase in strength was accomplished by post-tensioning the two trusses below the bottom wooden chords with high-strength coated steel rods. These rods, as well as other structural steel upgrades required to increase the strength, are hidden from view by the wooden siding in order to maintain the historic look of the bridge. The two Pratt trusses are still the fully functioning main structural supports for the bridge. In addition, skylights were added to the metal roof to allow natural light into the structure due to its long span. These skylights are made from translucent corrugated to match the contour of the existing roofing. Existing braided steel cables anchoring the upstream ends of the bridge to the shore were also removed at this time. The cables were previously installed to protect the bridge from washing away in a flood or ice flow. However, this method proved to cause the destruction of these covered wooden bridges at other locations in the country during one of these events. It was determined at the time that letting the structure move and float with the flowing water/ice would cause the least damage. After one of these events, the structure could then be reset with heavy equipment and/or cranes, repaired, and put back in service in a much shorter timespan and significantly lower cost.

This bridge had been damaged only months before by a truck hauling oversized landscaping equipment. The driver claims instead of backing out after contact, he continued on through the bridge damaging the entire bridge, thinking that it might totally collapse if he backed out. He was ticketed for his poor decision.  Lincoln Bridge is also called Ottauquechee River Bridge.

Of the over 500 covered bridges that were built in the state of Vermont, as of 2019, only 104 remain.

Length of largest span: 129.9 ft.
Total length: 139.1 ft.
Deck width: 13.5 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 9 ft.

Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1973.

Located at:  N43 36.033    W72 34.136     -     WGCB #45-14-13

Photographed in July of 2019.