Since 1880, the Bean Blossom Covered Bridge has been a landmark for travelers over Bean Blossom Creek — so much that Covered Bridge Road was named after it.
Until State Road 135 was built in 1936, the bridge and road were the main route to Nashville.
Captain Joseph Balsey built the bridge in 1880 for $1,200. The 101-foot-long, single Howe through-truss bridge is one of only three left in the state, County Historian Diana Biddle said.
Since it was built as part of a public byway, the bridge has always been county-owned, and continues to be, she said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]The county highway department and several local residents regularly check on it to report problems or concerns, she said.
And within the past year, there have been a couple.
Last year, it was subject to some “minor paint vandalism,” Biddle said. That incident happened the same week that Stone Head was destroyed.
The county highway department painted over the graffiti after learning about it.
In late July, a Lowe’s truck struck the bridge and damaged the upper right side and a support beam, a police report said. The driver left the scene without notifying police, but a store manager called in to report the accident.
The state gives each county with a covered bridge an annual “allowance” of $1,850 to help cover upkeep and repairs, said Biddle, who is also a county commissioner. Any additional money needed for upkeep also can come from the county’s bridge fund, she said.
Each year the covered bridge is inspected as part of the county’s annual inspection process, which is required on all bridges over a certain age.
As of 2012, the average daily traffic on it was 38 cars — plus the hikers, geocachers and photographers who visit on foot.
