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Goodpasture Covered Bridge

Photo taken by Michael Goff on July 9, 2010

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Description

The Goodpasture Bridge is one of the most beautiful and most photographed covered bridges in the state. Designed by the State Highway Department and built by Lane County, the classical and timeless architecture of this bridge is accentuated by Gothic style windows on both sides of the structure. At 165 feet, the span is the longest covered bridge in Oregon still in daily use.

Lane County spent $13,154 constructing the Goodpasture Bridge and is still reaping the benefits of a good investment. Unfortunately, both time and traffic have significantly weakened the span. By the early 1980s, rumors persisted that the Goodpasture Bridge would be closed with a new concrete span built to handle the local traffic. Instead, Lane County agreed to repair the bridge, and work was completed in 1987 which included renovation to handle the daily loads of log trucks. In addition, the remodeling included a right-turn lane for traffic exiting Highway 126 onto the bridge, and a concrete retaining wall along the north bank of the McKenzie River. Some $750,000 was spent to complete work on the bridge, road, approaches and wingwall. The Eugene Register-Guard reported that Ole Halverson, who helped built the bridge in 1938, attended the dedication in April 1987 and liked what he saw. "They did an excellent job of strengthening it," Halverson said. "It looks the same as new."

The nearby town of Vida was once called Gate Creek, resulting in confusion with Gales Creek in Washington County. "Vida" was selected as an alternate name because it was also the name of the daughter of postmaster Francis Peport. The Goodpasture family settled near the town of Vida and gave their name to the bridge.

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

Facts

Overview: Covered Howe through truss bridge over Mckenzie River on Goodpasture Road
Location: Lane County, Oregon
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1938
Design: Covered Howe through truss
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 165.0 ft.
Total length: 237.9 ft.
Deck width: 17.7 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 15.3 ft.
Recognition: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude: +44.14806, -122.58750 (decimal degrees)
44°08'53" N, 122°35'15" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/532989/4888400 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Vida
Inventory numbers: WGCB 37-20-10 (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)
NRHP 79002100 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
ORNBI 39C118109400001 (Oregon bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 30036 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 08/2010): Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 14.8 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2010): 750

Update Log

July 12, 2010: New photos from Michael Goff
April 22, 2010: New Street View added by Michael Goff
April 20, 2009: Posted HAER photos

Related Bridges

Leaburg Dam - Bridge (Downstream)
Bruckart Bridge (Upstream) - Two modern bridges between structures

Sources

Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon - Dwight A. Smith, James B. Norman & Pieter T. Dykman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989
HAER OR-136 - Goodpasture Bridge, Spanning McKenzie River at Goodpasture Road, Vida, Lane County, OR
Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
Goodpasture Covered Bridge - Oregon Covered Bridge Guide
Wikipedia - Goodpasture Covered Bridge
Dale Travis Covered Bridge List