​

Niemeyer Road Bridge Rehabilitation Project

Project Overview

This project is to repair and rehabilitate the 149-year-old bridge that carries Niemeyer Road over LeBoeuf Creek in Waterford Township, Erie County.

The project started​ on October 30, 2023 with the dismantling of the top portion, or superstructure, of the bridge. Work in 2024 started in April and concluded November 7, 2024. ​

Construction started in fall 2023 with dismantling the top portion of the wooden bridge for refurbishment offsite. Pieces were evaluated for reuse and repaired or replaced when necessary. 

In 2024, work included the construction of new concrete walls, bridge beams and wooden decking to support the historic structure. The lattice wall and overhead trusses were reassembled using wooden dowel pins to match the original design. The wooden roof was covered with a second metal roof to increase the longevity of the refurbished structure.   

The project also included paving the roadway and pull-off location areas on each side of the bridge, as well as updates to the guiderail and pavement markings. ​​

Once work is complete, the bridge will have a 15-ton weight limit.

The Niemeyer Road bridge is owned by Waterford Township. 

The contractor is Chivers Construction Company of Fairview. The contract cost is $3,473,690, which will be paid for with a combination of state and federal funds.

This project is funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Community Event

The Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society​, Waterford Township and WECAN Waterford will hold a community celebration from 4 to 6 p.m. on November 15. The official ribbon cutting will be at 5 p.m. 

The celebration will include a brief history of the bridge, dedication ceremony, ribbon cutting, and light refreshments.

History of the Bridge

Historic photo courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS PA,25-WAFO,4-

The 85-foot single-lane covered bridge was built in 1875 by brothers Charles and James Phelps as a Town lattice wooden truss bridge. 

The trusses are comprised of crisscrossed diagonals, leading to the name lattice truss. It is one of only 19 such bridges left in Pennsylvania, and likely the only one in the northwest region. Pennsylvania is home to more than 200 covered bridges, most of which in the southeast portion of the state. 

The bridge, which is known as Brotherton's Bridge and the Old Kissing Bridge, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.