The West Liberty Covered Bridge is a covered bridge

Covered bridge

A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...

 which carries West Liberty Street across Cowles Creek in Geneva

Geneva, Ohio

Geneva is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The area which would become Geneva was originally settled in 1805, and was incorporated as a city in 1958. It is named after Geneva, New York. The city's population was 6,595 at the 2000 census....

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. At 18 feet (5.5 m), it has been called the shortest covered bridge in the United States. The bridge, one of 17 drivable covered bridges in the county, was designed by John Smolen, former Ashtabula County

Ashtabula County, Ohio

Ashtabula County is the northeasternmost county in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 101,497, its county seat is Jefferson. The county is named for a Native American word meaning "river of many fish"....

 Engineer and the designer of the Smolen–Gulf Bridge, the longest covered bridge in the U.S., also in Ashtabula County.

Construction

Conceived in 2007, the bridge project proceeded in 2008 when the Ohio Public Works Commission supplied a grant for its construction. The decision to replace the existing culvert with a covered bridge was made because a bridge of that type would be cheaper than replacing the culvert with another culvert, and also would add to the tourism created by Ashtabula County's other covered bridges.

The foundation for the bridge was laid in September 2010, with the bridge proper assembled starting the following month. Students from the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational School (now Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus, or A-Tech) in nearby Jefferson Township

Jefferson Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio

Jefferson Township is one of the twenty-seven townships of Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,559 people in the township, 1,987 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

contributed their labor, further defraying the costs.

The bridge opened to traffic on August 22, 2011. It was dedicated on October 8, 2011.