Lane County has taken emergency action to address deterioration of two covered bridges near Cottage Grove; the Currin Bridge which spans the Row River and the Stewart Bridge which crosses Mosby Creek.
Lane County Parks Division Manager Brett Henry asked the commissioners for permission to find and hire a construction and engineering firm to stabilize the bridges without going through the normal contractor search process. During the commissioner’s Tuesday meeting, he said that would allow the county to quickly address the danger posed by the two historic bridges.
"These bridges are in really dire shape and there's a safety risk of them collapsing as well,” Henry said. “We know there is an urgent risk to this so we are asking for emergency procurement."
The bridges are closed to pedestrians, but county staff say if they were to collapse, they could endanger people recreating, or the environment, downstream.
The County Commissioners approved the emergency measure in hopes of starting the stabilization project this construction season.
In February, the county commissioners previously allocated $500,000 in Transient Lodging Taxes for the project.
The emergency stabilization could extend the life of the bridges 15 to 20 years to allow local governments to determine the future of the two bridges.
The Stewart Covered Bridge is a 60-foot timber Howe truss bridge and was built in 1930. Parts of the truss, rafters and siding were repaired in 1995. Timber decay was noted on the bridge in 2021.
The Currin Covered Bridge was built in 1925 and spans 105 feet. It also underwent restoration in 1995 and decay was noted in some areas in 2014. Both bridges were found to be at risk of collapse in January, when inspectors the county contracted from private engineering firm DOWL found significant cracking, signs of decay and deterioration.
Lane County has 20 covered bridges, 17 of which are on the Registry of Historic Places, according to the county.
