Wertz's Covered Bridge

Wertz's Covered Bridge is a wooden bridge painted red that spans across Tulpehocken Creek and connects Bern Township and Spring Township. The structure uses a special arch truss design to cover its long distance without support columns in the middle.

The bridge was built in 1867 near Wertz's Mill and served vehicles for more than 90 years. It lost its traffic role in 1959 when the Warren Street Bypass opened and diverted traffic to a new route.

The bridge marks the entrance to Berks County Heritage Center and shows how people in the 1800s built wooden structures with arch truss design. It represents the engineering knowledge and craftsmanship that was common in this region during that era.

You can reach the location at the Heritage Center grounds, which is open year-round and offers parking. It works best to visit the bridge along with the nearby museum to get a complete experience of the site.

The bridge is Pennsylvania's longest single-span wooden structure of its kind and attracts people interested in architecture who want to see how builders created such long spans without modern equipment. This technical achievement makes it a special example of 1800s engineering.