The historic South Perkasie Covered Bridge, the oldest covered bridge in Bucks County and one of the oldest in the nation, is one step closer to restoration after Perkasie Borough Council awarded construction contracts for its long-awaited rehabilitation.
At its Sept. 22 meeting, council approved bids from Eastern Highway Specialists Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware, for the timber structure repairs, and T. Schiefer Contractors Inc. of Doylestown for the abutment work. The bids were selected through a competitive process and are contingent upon final funding approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Eastern Highway Specialists has previously restored several notable covered bridges, including Rapps Dam, Knox, and Speakman’s covered bridges in Pennsylvania, as well as the Ashland Covered Bridge in Delaware. T. Schiefer Contractors is a family-owned and operated firm based in Bucks County.
“The Borough and our many project partners are looking forward to working with Eastern Highway Specialists and T. Schiefer Contractors in the efforts to rehabilitate the South Perkasie Covered Bridge in Lenape Park,” said Scott Bomboy, chair of the Perkasie Borough Council History Committee. “We are also grateful to FEMA and PEMA for working with us to make sure environmental and historical concerns are addressed today, so future generations will enjoy the bridge as a showpiece in our park system.”
As part of the project, the Borough applied for FEMA approval to relocate the bridge approximately 50 feet from its current position within the regulatory floodway. The bridge will also be elevated several feet and anchored with tie-down fixtures to protect it from future flood damage.
The revised design follows inspections and engineering studies by Wood Research & Development of Jefferson, Oregon, and Gilmore & Associates Inc., which analyzed the site’s floodplain conditions and recommended the new placement.
Once FEMA finalizes the adjusted funding obligation based on the approved site change, construction is expected to begin in early spring 2026.
The bridge restoration effort originally began in 2019, when the Perkasie Historical Society, the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society, and Perkasie Borough collaborated on plans and fundraising to address preexisting structural issues. The project was later expanded after Hurricane Ida in 2021, when floodwaters swept the bridge off its abutments.
FEMA subsequently designated Perkasie as a recipient of federal and state recovery funds to return the bridge to its pre-flood condition. The project’s costs will be covered through contributions from FEMA, PEMA, the Pennsylvania State Historic Office, and community donations coordinated by the Perkasie Historical Society.
Built in 1832, the South Perkasie Covered Bridge is the oldest covered bridge in Bucks County and the seventh oldest in the United States. The bridge was moved by Perkasie residents in 1958 to prevent its demolition and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. It remains a rare surviving example of an early Town Lattice truss bridge design.
For more information about the rehabilitation project or how to apply for the open seat on the Borough Council’s History Committee, visit perkasieborough.org
