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Grave Creek Covered Bridge 37-17-01
Photos
Sunny Valley Covered Bridge (aka Grave Creek Bridge)
Sunny Valley Covered Bridge (aka Grave Creek Bridge)
Photo taken by Larry Matthews on October 3, 2004
BH Photo #111833
Description
The Grave Creek covered span at Sunny Valley, about 15 miles north of Grants Pass, can be seen by motorists traveling Interstate 5. Features of the wooden structure include six gothic style windows on either side, concrete abutments, a Howe truss, rounded portals and a shake roof. The old wooden river crossing is the last covered bridge on the northsouth Pacific Highway system. Existing records on the Grave Creek Bridge show a contract awarded by the Oregon State Highway Department to J. Elmer Nelson in April, 1920. Just four months later, traffic passed through its portals. The 105 foot Howe truss is supported by "dumb bell" concrete piers. Total cost of the construction, including the engineering fees, is listed at $21,128. When Interstate 5 was built nearby, ownership and maintenance of the Sunny Valley Loop Road, which includes Grave Creek Bridge, passed to Josephine County.In the late 1990s, the bridge was closed to traffic and was reopened in 2001 after repairs to the approaches and housing.
(Reference: Roofs Over Rivers, by Bill and Nick Cockrell)
Facts
- Overview
- Covered bridge over Grave Creek on Sunny Valley Loop
- Location
- Josephine County, Oregon
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built 1920; rehabilitated 2001
- Builders
- - Conde B. McCullough of Redfield, South Dakota (Bridge Engineer)
- J. Elmer Nelson (Contractor)
- Design
- Covered Howe through truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 105.0 ft.
Total length: 220.2 ft.
Deck width: 18.4 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 15.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 1979
- Also called
- Grave Creek Bridge
Sunny Valley Covered Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +42.63628, -123.37736 (decimal degrees)
42°38'11" N, 123°22'38" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 10/469061/4720494 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Glendale
- Land survey
- T. 34 S., R. 6 W., Sec. 11
- Average daily traffic (as of 2010)
- 1,054
- Inventory numbers
- WGCB 37-17-01 (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)
NRHP 79002077 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 30008 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection report (as of October 2018)
- Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 76.8 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com
Update Log
- April 9, 2018: New photos from Richard Doody
- March 9, 2014: Photos imported by Dave King
- July 8, 2010: New photos from Michael Goff
- April 20, 2009: Posted HAER photos
- July 8, 2008: Updated by Michael Goff
- June 18, 2008: New photo from Michael Goff
- February 17, 2008: New photo from Larry Matthews
Sources
- Dale Travis Covered Bridge List
- Larry Matthews
- Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
- HAER OR-26 - Grave Creek Bridge, Spanning Grave Creek on Sunny Valley Loop Road, Sunny Valley, Josephine County, OR
- Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon - Dwight A. Smith, James B. Norman & Pieter T. Dykman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989
- Grave Creek Covered Bridge - Oregon Covered Bridge Guide
- Richard Doody
© Copyright 2021, Historic Bridge Foundation and contributors.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/or/josephine/sunny-valley/
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/or/josephine/sunny-valley/
Roof and siding were replaced in mid 2014.