Abstract:As a composite carrier integrating transportation, architecture, and cultural heritage value, research on the protection of covered bridges is of great significance for the inheritance of traditional construction techniques. This paper systematically sorts out the development context and regional distribution characteristics of covered bridges at home and abroad. In response to the multiple risks faced by covered bridges, such as floods, strong winds, earthquakes, and fires, it summarizes the research progress of key technologies including structural reinforcement, intelligent fire prevention, and digital protection. Focusing on the Chongqing area, a comprehensive survey was conducted on 48 covered bridges, which cover three types: single-span wooden beam covered bridges, stone pier wooden beam covered bridges, and stone arch wooden covered bridges, with a concentrated distribution in the southeastern part of Chongqing. Among them, about 68% of the covered bridges are well-preserved, while the rest have problems such as stone deterioration, wood decay, and brick-tile diseases, with prominent issues of lacking fire-fighting and security facilities. Based on this, combined with the structural characteristics and regional cultural features of the covered bridges, protection strategies such as classified and graded protection, living inheritance of construction techniques, and integrated activation and utilization of cultural tourism are proposed. The research can provide a basis for the systematic protection of covered bridges in Chongqing and has reference value for the regional protection of similar cultural heritage.
