Monroe County’s only remaining covered bridge is being reconstructed.
The original bridge dates back to the 1880s and crossed over the Beanblossom Creek. But a fire destroyed the historic structure in 1976.
Crews started reconstructing the bridge last fall and will wrap up their work by the end of May.
Lisa Ridge, the Monroe County Highway Director, says they started setting the bridge last week.
When she spoke to the builders, they reported they were on target to complete the briadge by the end of May.
“They’ll start putting the deck down, the siding, the roof, and do the approaches to the bridge, things like that,” she says.
Ridge says 30 percent of the timber is coming from Cedar Ford Bridge, which was built in 1885 in Shelby County but dismantled in 1975.
Traffic in the area is expected to increase after construction is completed for a time.
“A lot of people in in the state travel all around just to see a covered bridge, so since this is new, we do expect traffic,” Ridge says.
Federal money is funding 80 percent of the $1.6 million project.
At one time, Monroe County had 14 covered bridges.
