PERKASIE BOROUGH TO START HISTORIC COVERED BRIDGE REHABILITATION
PERKASIE, PA (August 25, 2026) — The historic South Perkasie Covered Bridge, the oldest such structure in Bucks County, will begin an extensive rehabilitation project late this summer, Perkasie Borough officials announced today.
Preliminary stabilization of the bridge will start at its current location in late summer 2026. Following worksite clearing and mobilization, timber framing is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027. The bridge will then be relocated and elevated approximately 50 feet away from its current site within Perkasie’s Lenape Park in late spring 2027. The project timeline remains subject to weather conditions and resource availability.
"The South Perkasie Covered Bridge is a proud symbol of our borough's history and shared identity. By restoring this treasured structure, we are ensuring that Perkasie's unique story continues to inspire our community for years to come,” said Jeff Hollenbach, Mayor of Perkasie Borough.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida severely damaged the South Perkasie Covered Bridge on September 1st – 2nd, 2021. Since the storm, Perkasie Borough has partnered with federal and state agencies to secure funding and establish a flood-rehabilitation plan.
Borough leaders will hold a public event at 11 a.m. on September 2, 2026, at the covered bridge’s location in Lenape Park to mark the project’s start. The event coincides with the fifth anniversary of the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
“Federal regulations require moving and elevating the bridge away from its current location while keeping it adjacent to the creek,” said Scott Bomboy, Perkasie Borough’s Historical Committee chairperson, who is the project’s historic preservationist of record. “The bridge’s timber frame will be repaired to save as much of its historic timber as possible, while a new abutment system will make the bridge more accessible to the public.”
Project Leadership & Key Partners
- Project Management: Gilmore & Associates, Inc. (New Britain, PA), alongside Perkasie Borough staff and leadership.
- Timber Rehabilitation & Relocation: Eastern Highway Specialists (Wilmington, DE). The firm's previous restorations include Delaware’s Ashland and Smith covered bridges, as well as Pennsylvania’s Bartram’s, Rapps Dam, Knox (Valley Forge), Speakman No. 1, and Hollow Road covered bridges.
- Lead Timber Design & Engineering: Wood Research & Development (Jefferson, OR /Jacksonville, FL). The team holds 42 patents for timber bridge testing and repair. It previously took part in restoring the Bayswater Covered Bridge in New Brunswick, Canada and many other timber structures.
- Abutment Design & Construction: Abutment system designed by JHA Companies (Moosic, PA); construction managed by T. Schiefer Contractors, Inc. (Doylestown, PA).
Historic Significance & Funding Built in 1832, the South Perkasie Covered Bridge is the seventh-oldest covered bridge in America and a rare surviving example of the original Town Lattice truss system from 1820. Local citizens originally relocated the structure in 1958 to prevent its demolition, and it was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was one of 12 covered bridges in Bucks County.
The restoration initiative originated in 2019 through joint fundraising by the Perkasie Historical Society, the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society, and Perkasie Borough, alongside a grant from the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission (PHMC). The expanded flood-damage rehabilitation is now primarily funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), with remaining costs covered by the PHMC grant and private local donations.
Perkasie Borough will provide a live webcam during parts of the project on YouTube and on its website at perkasieborough.org.