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Hoffman Covered Bridge

Photo taken by Michael Goff on March 20, 2010

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Description

The Hoffman Covered Bridge spans Crabtree Creek one mile northeast of the town of Crabtree. Both the town and the creek were named for John Crabtree, who settled in the area in 1845.

Gothic style windows grace this structure, instead of the usual open Linn County truss design. The portal design, originally rounded when the bridge was constructed, was enlarged and squared to allow passage of larger loads. The upper chords show signs of being shaped by hand and as most bridge crews in 1936 had yet to use power tools, logs were often cut nearby. Shaping of the chord timbers was done with hand adzes prior to being placed across the stream.

The roofed river crossing was built by Lee Hoffman following State Highway Department specifications.

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

Facts

Overview: Covered Howe through truss bridge over Crabtree Creek on Hungry Hill Drive
Location: Linn County, Oregon
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1936
Builder: - Lee Hoffman (Contractor)
Design: Covered Howe Through truss
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 89.9 ft.
Total length: 148.0 ft.
Deck width: 17.1 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 10.1 ft.
Recognition: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude: +44.65306, -122.89028 (decimal degrees)
44°39'11" N, 122°53'25" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/508699/4944416 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Crabtree
Inventory numbers: OR 01724 (Oregon Dept. of Transportation structure number)
BH 30079 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 11/2011): Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Serious (3 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 25.1 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2010): 258

Update Log

April 26, 2010: New Street View added by Michael Goff
April 5, 2010: Updated by Michael Goff: added bridge history and photos

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
Hoffman Covered Bridge - Oregon Covered Bridge Guide