The Langley Covered Bridge near Centreville

Three miles north of Centreville, Covered Bridge Road enters a wooden tunnel over the St. Joseph River. At 282 feet, the Langley Covered Bridge is the longest of Michigan’s remaining covered bridges.

Pierce Bodmer of Parkville built it in 1887 using three 94-foot Howe-truss spans. The bridge honors the Langley family, early Centreville settlers. When construction of the Sturgis Dam raised the river in 1910, crews lifted the bridge eight feet.

The county completed a major rehabilitation in 2024, replacing abutments, steel supports, and the wooden roadway deck. Oversized vehicles have since struck its height-limiters and caused temporary closures. The latest report reviewed for this note says the bridge reopened in August 2025 after one such strike.

Passenger vehicles can normally cross one lane at a time, but the posted limits are strict: 7 feet high and 3 tons. Because a collision can change access quickly, check St. Joseph County Road Commission updates before making a trip specifically to drive through it.