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Wildcat Covered Bridge

Photo taken by Mike Goff in April 2012

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Description

The Wildcat Bridge is located on a small winding road a short distance from Highway 126. From the bridge site where Wildcat Creek flows into the Siuslaw River, Stagecoach Road hugs the hillside until it drops into the narrow plain at Swisshome. Stagecoach Road was the original road to the coast, but was bypassed after the Linslaw Tunnel and Mapleton Bridge were built in the 1930s. The nearby Austa boat ramp provides access to the river for fishermen on the Siuslaw River. The bridge was closed for repairs several times in the 1980s, and in the autumn of 2000, when the structure was strengthened.

(Reference: Roofs Over Rivers, by Bill and Nick Cockrell)

Facts

Overview: Covered Howe through truss bridge over Wildcat Creek on Austa Road
Location: Lane County, Oregon
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1925; rehabilitated 1990
Builder: - A.C. Striker (County Bridge Superintendent)
Design: The Wildcat Creek Covered Bridge is a 75-foot covered Howe through truss. The bridge features five timber stringer approach spans, three spans to the south and two to the north. The approach spans make of 86-feet of the total 161-foot crossing. The west side of the bridge has a large window to allow those crossing views of the Wildcat Creek - Siuslaw River confluence.
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 75.0 ft.
Total length: 161.0 ft.
Deck width: 13.5 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 13.3 ft.
Recognition: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Also called: Austa Road Bridge
Austa Covered Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +44.00278, -123.65472 (decimal degrees)
44°00'10" N, 123°39'17" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/447510/4872389 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Greenleaf
Inventory numbers: ORNBI 39C446438700008 (Oregon bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 30013 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 09/2011): Deck condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 25.1 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2010): 54

Update Log

April 24, 2012: New photos from Mike Goff

Sources

Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon - Dwight A. Smith, James B. Norman & Pieter T. Dykman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989
Wildcat Covered Bridge - Oregon Covered Bridge Guide
Wikipedia - Wildcat Covered Bridge