Wimer Bridge

The Wimer Bridge is a covered bridge over Evans Creek in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Oregon.[2] The version that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1927.[1] This structure, 85 feet (26 m) long, carried East Evans Creek County Road over the creek in the rural community of Wimer.[3] The creek is a tributary of the Rogue River, which it joins at the small city of Rogue River.[4]

Wimer Bridge
The 2008 version of the bridge
Location of the bridge in Jackson County
Wimer Bridge (the United States)
Coordinates42°32′17.3″N 123°08′59.3″W
Built1927 (1892) (2008)
Built byHartman Brothers of Jacksonville (1927 version)
Architectural styleQueenpost truss (1927 version)
NRHP reference No.79002075[1]
Significant dates
ListedNovember 29, 1979
Removed from NRHPafter bridge collapse in 2003

An earlier covered span, built in 1892 by J. W. Osbourne, crossed the creek at this location, according to local residents and an engineering database.[2][5] The 1927 bridge replaced the older span.[2][5]

After the 1927 bridge deteriorated, local residents refurbished it in 1962. However, by the mid-1970s the bridge was closed after further decline. Repairs in 1985 led to reopening with an eight-ton limit, later reduced to three tons. Before further repairs were undertaken, the structure collapsed in 2003.[2] It fell 40 feet (12 m) into the water, injuring three people who were crossing the bridge.[6]

In 2008, with the help of federal funds and local labor, the bridge was replaced with a look-alike using trusses reinforced with metal braces, laminated beams that look like timber, concrete approaches, and industrial roofing made to resemble wooden shakes. The one-way bridge, still 17 feet (5.2 m) wide, as was the original, has a load limit of 10 tons.[6] This version of the bridge opened to traffic in February 2008.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon City County Management Association. November 10, 2005. p. 16. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  2. "Evans Creek (Wimer) Covered Bridge" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  3. Smith, Dwight A.; Norman, James B.; Dykman, Pieter T. (1989) [1986]. Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon (2nd ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 180. ISBN 0-87595-205-4.
  4. "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 17, 2016 – via Acme Mapper.
  5. "International Database for Civil and Structural Engineering: Wimer Bridge". Structurae. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  6. Mann, Damien (January 3, 2008). "Wimer Bridge Lives!". Medford Mail-Tribune. Local Media Group. Retrieved February 17, 2016.

Official Website

Trip Advisor: The Wimer Covered Bridge

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