Contact: Barbara Riley
Thursday, September 4, 2008

WEST OSSIPEE, NH – United States Senator John Sununu (R-NH) today 9(/4) visited the Whittier Covered Bridge on Bearcamp Road where he talked with local officials about the progress of the restoration on the structure.

“Whittier Bridge, which spans the Bearcamp River, is one of only twenty remaining Paddleford Truss design structures in the country, and is of national, state, and local historic significance,” said Sununu, who helped secure $632,000 Department of Transportation (DOT) funding for the restoration project. “I welcomed the opportunity to talk with local officials about the proposed work to repair serious deterioration. It’s clear that all parties are dedicated preserving this valuable historical resource for generations to come and they deserve our thanks.”

Carroll County Commissioner and chair of the Ossipee Selectboard Peter Olkkola, said, “Our entire congressional delegation supported a federal grant for Whittier Bridge, but Senator Sununu and his staff deserve special gratitude from the town for their unrelenting efforts to obtain this grant, which is crucial to saving a bridge that is part of Ossipee’s identity.”

On July 2, the bridge was rolled off the Bearcamp River and now rests about 50 feet from the river's west bank where work will be conducted and a completion date is expected in 2010.

The DOT grant, which was awarded under the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program, will fund repairs to the bridge that address the severe deterioration of key structural components.  The project will include emergency measures to strengthen the span, an engineering survey, final designs, repairs to the abutments, and installation of fire protection and security systems.  The Town of Ossipee has approved an additional $125,000 bond for the restoration project.

In 2007, the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources described the Whittier Bridge project as the single most urgent covered bridge rehabilitation in New Hampshire, while the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance designated it as one of its "Seven to Save" most endangered historic structures in the state.

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