Goodpasture Bridge, McKenzie River. Erin Neve, 1999
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Covered bridges are an important cultural feature on the Lane County landscape. Lane county has more covered bridges than any other county west of the Appalachian Mountains. Eighteen of the twenty bridges in the county are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Covered bridges were constructed to withstand heavy rains and salty sea air. The barn-type structures over the bridges protect the wood trusses and floor planking from the elements and extend the functional lives of the bridges. The design of the wooden bridges is similar to steel truss bridges, but the shortage of steel during World War I and the local access to high quality timber contributed to the use of wood as a bridge building material.
By 1918, plans for covered bridges had become standardized to include open windows for light and ventilation together with such features as laminated floors and interior whitewashing. The twenty covered bridges of Lane County represent many hours of hand labor by skilled craftspeople.
Recently, some of Lane County's covered bridges have become inadequate for increased traffic and commercial loads. In some cases, new bridges have been built adjacent to existing covered bridges to accommodate modern traffic needs. Lane County has a continuous maintenance program for all County owned covered bridges.
Modified text after: Lane County Public Works Dept. (A Guide to Covered Bridges in Lane County, 1993).
James E. Meacham et. al. (Atlas of Lane County, Oregon, 1990)
For information on each bridge, including photographs and driving directions, please follow the link to A Guide to Covered Bridges on the Lane County website.
