Why Do Covered Bridges Have Roofs

Constant exposure to sun snow and rain left wooden bridges with a useful life of about a decade.
Why do covered bridges have roofs. Covered bridges were also covered to keep the rain off the wooden deck of the bridge which would make it very slippery. Some also say the roof and walls on a covered bridge covered up the ugly trusses and also provided shelter in bad weather. With a roof to protect the. The bridges were made of wood and open to the harsh weather.
A covered bridge is a timber truss bridge with a roof decking and siding which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The roofs on covered bridges also kept the snow off the bridge. If the bridge is over water sometimes there are sides and a roof to allow the bridge to actually open and close. They protected the bridges from the weather and they made it easier to drive the horses across them.
On many flat roof low slope commercial buildings it s common to see gravel on top of the roof. The roofs served 2 purposes. True covered bridges are defined by a timber truss or frame that distributes the weight of. Have you ever wondered why contractors install gravel on flat roofs.
If so you might have wondered why it was covered with a roof. Others say that since these bridges look like barns animals would cross without fear. To protect the underlying layer of roofing materials as is the case with built up roofs burs. There has to be a bridge operator so these types of bridges have more stuff.
A surprising number are on roads providing motorists with a brief back in time experience. As to why covered bridges were built some reckon that the roofs protected the beams from rotting or from freezing in bad weather. A covered bridge is a technical name for a specific kind of structure not just any bridge with a roof. Truth is one of the jobs of a bridge tender in the old days was spreading snow on the floor of a covered bridge in winter so sleighs could get across.
The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. In your travels have you ever driven or walked across one. A few characters say the bridges were covered to prevent horses from getting spooked when they realized they were above flowing water but about this theory we will not even speak.