Goodpasture Covered Bridge crosses the McKenzie River near Vida, about 20 miles east of Springfield.  The bridge provides sole access for more than 80 residences and a large area of forest lands.  It’s also the second-longest covered bridge in Oregon, at 165 feet, and is known as Oregon’s most photographed covered bridge.  It was built in 1938 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The structure is timber and therefore at higher risk from fire.  The 2020 Holiday Farm Fire came very close to the bridge, which was saved by fire suppression efforts.  In general, the lower elevations of the western Cascade Range are considered very likely to experience increasing wildfire frequency and intensity due to climate change.  This project is expected to include fire mitigation measures, such as sprinklers or fire-resistant materials.

The bridge was damaged by a snow storm in February 2019 and repaired with FEMA funding.  This project will increase the load capacity of the bridge and therefore provide additional snow mitigation.

The project will also evaluate seismic retrofit of the bridge to improve its resilience to earthquakes, such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone event.

The project is funded by a FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant and a State General Fund grant.  An engineering firm (DOWL) is performing the engineering design and environmental studies.  Construction is tentatively planned for 2025.

For more information, please contact the project manager, Olaf Sweetman, at [email protected] or 541-682-6424.