Hayden Bridge, a

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

structure, spans the

Alsea River The Alsea River flows from Alsea, an unincorporated community in the coastal mountains of the U.S. state of Oregon, to the Pacific Ocean near the city of Waldport. It begins at the confluence of the North Fork Alsea River and the South Fork Als ...

about west of

Alsea, Oregon Alsea () is an unincorporated community in Benton County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is on Oregon Route 34 and the Alsea River. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Alsea as a census-designated place (CDP) ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Constructed in 1918, the span is one of only seven remaining

covered bridges A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

in Oregon that were built before 1920. Similar spans such as the Mill Creek Bridge crossed the Alsea or one of its tributaries in the same vicinity, but only the Hayden Bridge has survived. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1979. Located along Hayden Road just south of

Oregon Route 34 Oregon Route 34 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Oregon that runs between the city of Waldport on the Oregon Coast and the city of Lebanon in the western part of the state. OR 34 traverses the Alsea Highway No. 27 from Waldpo ...

, the bridge was either partly or completely rebuilt in 1945. Changes included larger and less rounded bridge portals that could accommodate larger vehicles. Narrow openings under the side-wall eaves on both sides of the span illuminated the interior. The bridge, repaired again in 2003, required further work in 2006 after a

logging truck A logging truck or timber lorry is a large truck used to carry logs. Some have integrated flatbeds, some are discrete tractor units, and some are configured to spread a load between the tractor unit and a dollied trailer pulled behind it. Ofte ...

crashed into it. Of the more than 600 covered bridges once found in Oregon, only 50 remain. After 1915, although some were of

queen-post A queen post is a tension member in a truss that can span longer openings than a king post truss. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post truss uses two. Even though it is a tension member, rather than a compression ...

or king-post design, most of the new covered bridges were of Howe-truss design. In that year, the

Oregon legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the ...

passed a law giving the

Oregon State Highway Department The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depa ...

oversight powers for bridges worth more than $500. The department developed plans for Howe-truss bridges, partly because they were relatively easy to assemble, and distributed them to the state's counties. Many of these bridges, often built with

Douglas-fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

timber available locally, were replaced in the 1940s and 1950s by bridges more suited to logging trucks and other big vehicles. Although most of the original bridges no longer exist, the remaining bridges have gained value as tourist attractions.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Oregon Alsea River Bridges in Benton County, Oregon Wooden bridges in Oregon Bridges completed in 1918 Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Benton County, Oregon Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon 1918 establishments in Oregon Tourist attractions in Benton County, Oregon Howe truss bridges in the United States

See also

References