Goodpasture Bridge

Geobox|Bridge
name = Goodpasture Bridge
official_name =
other_name =
category = U.S. National Register of Historic Places


image_size = 280
image_caption =
country = United States
country_

state = Oregon
state_

region_type = County
region_label = County/Counties in which the site lies
region = Lane
municipality_type = Nearest city
municipality = Vida, Oregon
parent_typed = Road
road = Goodpasture Road
river_type = Crosses
river = McKenzie River
length_imperial = 237
length_note = cite web |author=Federal Highway Administration National Bridge Inventory |title=Place Name: Lane (County), Oregon NBI Structure Number: 39C118109400001 |publisher=Nationalbridges.com (Alexander Svirsky) |date=2007 |accessdate=2007-09-14|url=http://nationalbridges.com/nbi_record.php?StateCode=42&struct=257207040040080]
width_imperial = 17.7
width_note =
height_type = Clearance
height_imperial = 15.3
height_note =
style_type = Design
style = Howe Truss Bridge
author_label = Architect
author_type = Architect
author = Oregon State Highway Department
material = Wood
lat_d = 44
lat_m = 8
lat_s = 53
lat_NS = N
long_d = 122
long_m = 35
long_s = 15
long_EW = W
established_type = Built
established_label = Year of construction
established = 1938
management_type = Governing Body
management = Lane County Public Works Department
code_type = NBI Number
code_label = National Bridge Inventory identification number
code = [http://nationalbridges.com/nbi_record.php?StateCode=41&struct=39C118109400001 39C118109400001]
code1_type = NRHP Ref Number
code1_label = Reference number for the National Register of Historic Places
code1 = 79002100
free_type = Load
free_label = Max allowable load limit
free = convert|25|ST|MT|lk=on
free_note =
free1_type = Added to NRHP
free1_label = Date added to the National Register of Historic Places
free1 = November 29, 1979
free2_type = MPS
free2_label = Multiple Property Submission
free2 = Oregon Covered Bridges TR


map_size = 280
map_caption = Location of the Goodpasture Bridge in Oregon
map_locator = Oregon
commons =

The Goodpasture Bridge spans the McKenzie River near the unincorporated community of Vida in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is the longest covered bridge in the state still open to traffic. It is also one of the most photographed covered bridges in the state. The Goodpasture Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Lane County was the first Oregon county to build covered bridges on a large scale. Today, the county has more surviving covered bridges than any other county west of the Mississippi River, with a total of 17 bridges, including 14 that are still open to traffic. The county's engineering division maintains the covered bridges that are open to traffic, including the Goodpasture Bridge.Kletzok, Melinda, [http://www.lanecounty.org/News/News_2005/Release_23423.htm "Goodpasture Bridge Commemorative Coins: Going, Going, Gone"] , Public Information Office, Lane County Government, Eugene, Oregon, December 9, 2005.]

The Goodpasture Bridge was built in 1938, and cost $13,154 to construct. It was named for Benjamin Franklin Goodpasture, a pioneer farmer who had settled near bridge site. The bridge crosses the McKenzie River two miles west of the community of Vida. At 165 feet long, it the second longest covered bridge in Oregon, and the longest that is still open to traffic. [http://www.lanecounty.org/about/goodpast.htm "Goodpasture Covered Bridge"] , "Lane County, Oregon, eGovernment", Eugene, Oregon, September 1, 2008.] [ [http://mckenzie.orenews.com/index.html "Welcome to the McKenzie River Valley"] , "McKenzie River Reflections Newspaper", McKenzie Bridge, Oregon, September 1, 2008.] Because of its unique scenic beauty and its importance to Oregon's transportation history, the Goodpasture Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. [ [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/or/Lane/state2.html "Goodpasture Bridge"] , National Register of Historic Places, "www.nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com", August 26, 2008.]

Over time, bridge traffic significantly weakened the structure. In 1987, Lane County officials decided to restore the original covered bridge instead of bypassing it with a modern concrete span. The county spent $750,000 to renovate the bridge structure, road surface, and approaches. The project also added a right-turn lane for traffic exiting Oregon Route 126 onto the bridge, and built a concrete retaining wall along the north bank of the McKenzie River to stabilize the area. Today, the Goodpasture Bridge handles a normal load of traffic including logging trucks. [http://www.oregon.com/covered_bridges/bridges/goodpasture.cfm "McKenzie River (Goodpasture) Covered Bridge"] , "Oregon.com", Oregon Interactive Corporation, McMinnville, Oregon, 2006.]

In 2005, the Lane County Public Works Department began issuing a series of 17 commemorative coins to honor the county's covered bridges. Income from coin sales is used to help maintain the historic bridges. The first coin, struck in the fall of 2005, honored the Goodpasture Bridge. The remaining sixteen coins are being released at a rate of two per year through 2013.

Structure

The Goodpasture Bridge was designed by the Oregon State Highway Department (now the Oregon Department of Transportation) and was built by Lane County. A.C. Striker was the county bridge superintendent at the time of its construction. It was built to allow local families and commercial logging trucks to cross the McKenzie River. [Lindsey, David, [http://ths.sps.lane.edu/english/Period3/David_Marchant/#Goodpasture%20Covered%20Bridge "Goodpasture Bridge"] , "Covered Bridges in Oregon", Thurston High School and the Springfield Museum, Springfield, Oregon, May 19, 2000.]

The Goodpasture Bridge is a classic covered bridge in design. It is 165 feet long. The deck is 17.7 feet wide with vertical clearance of 15.3 feet. The bridge's two foundation tiers are concrete. Its wooden floor planks and shingled roof are intact, as is the weatherboard housing that protects the Howe truss infrastructure from the weather. [ [http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Goodpasture_Bridge "Goodpasture Bridge"] , Archiplanet, "www.archiplanet.org", December 5, 2006.] [ [http://bridgehunter.com/or/lane/39C118109400001/ "Goodpasture Road Bridge"] , Historic Bridges of the United States, "www.bridgehunter.com", 2008]

Most of Oregon's covered bridges, including the Goodpasture Bridge, were built using the Howe truss system, developed in 1840 by the Massachusetts architect William Howe. The system uses heavy timbers reinforced with iron or steel rods. The trusses have central beams and crossed timbers with adjustable, vertical iron rods to support the structural load. [Hauser, Susan, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE1D91231F930A15750C0A9659C8B63&sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=all "Over the River and Through the Bridge"] , "The New York Times", New York, New York, March 23, 2003.]

The Goodpasture Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in the state of Oregon. The bridge's architectural detailing includes false end beams, semi-elliptical portals, and 10 Gothic style louvered windows on each side. The windows were built to allow light into the long covered structure so drivers could see oncoming traffic. During the Christmas season, the bridge is hung with decorations, attracting many winter visitors.

References

External links

* [http://www.covered-bridges.org/bridges/goodpasture.htm Covered Bridge Society of Oregon: Goodpasture Bridge]