Footnote:

In December of 1994 the State Department of Transportation held an information meeting in the Town Community Center.  They presented an architectural plan for renovating the Covered Bridge in place so that the bridge would have New York States highest rating for traffic.  Which basically means that the bridge would be able to support, Ambulances, Fire Trucks and Lumber Trucks, and most any vehicle that would come through Jay.  The townspeople who showed up that night (about 125) were overwhelming in favor of this draft plan.  Obviously the State DOT put some thought, community ideas and money into this draft, because this had complete drawings and an information folder with it and at least three suits came along to explain the plan. Construction could begin in the Spring of 1995 and be completed by the Fall, costing $900,000.  I left that meeting thinking that this was a done deal.  It seemed to me, a very democratic solution to an issue that obviously held a lot of emotion with the townspeople.

Well, this issue was far from over.

Through back room politics that plan was scuttled and the division of the town was begun and today we have an over 5 million dollar new bridge downstream and a brand new covered bridge that can no longer say it was built in 1856.