Sources:
Articles in North Manchester News-Journal (November 4, 2009) and Wabash Plain Dealer (November 24, 2009)

 According to recent newspaper accounts, the North Manchester Covered Bridge is to receive important repairs within the next year. Current cost estimate for the repair is $985.000. State Representative Bill Ruppel has announced that federal funding in the amount of $313,000 will be made available for the bridge’s restoration. Also grant money from the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program in the amount of $592,000 has been appropriated from Indiana’s Transportation Enhancement Fund. Located at the south end of Sycamore and Mill Streets, the Covered Bridge was originally built in 1872, spanning the Eel River. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The engineering firm , United Consulting, considers the bridge to be structurally deficient.  Repairs will include a new roof, siding repair, a new deck, repair of the damaged concrete abutments, cleaning and painting, a new sprinkler system and lighting. The bridge upkeep falls under the jurisdiction of the Wabash County commissioners and the county highway department. The North Manchester Historical Society publicly supports this restoration project.

The Covered Bridge has played a significant role in the history of our community.  Today it is a well-known landmark for the town of North Manchester. The daily traffic along South Mill Street averages 460 vehicles per day. An inside walkway currently exists on the bridge’s east side. The Covered Bridge stretches 174 feet across, and is 18 feet wide. Built by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio, this bridge is one of just a few remaining Smith Truss covered bridges in the state of Indiana.   READ MORE