Tucker Reed Road Bridge

Can there be a more useful application of dry stone construction than the building of a bridge?  In the practical matters of getting around town every day, a bridge can be indispensable. Bridges also hold symbolic value. They express connectivity, freedom of movement, and trust.  We trust that bridges will keep us safe while in the act of crossing them.  The days I spent building a new abutment on Dummerston’s Tucker Reed Road bridge with Jared Flynn, Ted Hetzel and the town road crew had me ruminating on that trust, and my responsibility toward it.  My choice of stones and their placement in the construction will have a lasting effect, not just on the work but on the lives of people crossing the bridge, today and for years to come.