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What is next for the collapsed historic bridge

182 views · Published 13 February 2014 · 2:35 · Indexed 4 October 2026

Channel: LOCAL 12 · 2014 · News & Politics

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STONELICK TOWNSHIP, Ohio (Joe Webb) -- Crews will try to salvage as much as they can to rebuild the historic covered bridge that feel in Stonelick Creek.Both sides of the bridge collapsed Tuesday afternoon as workers restored the 135-year-old span.  Four people narrowly escaped injury.  The bridge has carried traffic since 1878.  For 33 years, Catherine Rush-Ossenbeck has looked out the window of her den at an historic covered bridge.  She was working at her desk when it collapsed about 2:30 tuesday. She said, All of a sudden I heard this enormous crash that sustained for several seconds and I knew something horrible had happened. Crews from the Righter Company have been restoring the bridge since last fall.  Tuesday, they were jacking up the entire span to replace damaged wood on what's called the bottom chord.  They know what happened but not why.Pat Manger, a Clermont County engineer, said, The east side of the bridge started to lean and it finally fell out of plumb and ultimately ended up in the river.  Shortly after the east side went, sort of like the domino effect, the west side followed it. One side of the historic Howe Truss design is now in Stonelick Creek.  The other side is laying where the roadway used to be.  The immediate plan is to get the truss out of the creek and see what can be salvaged.At one point there were 68 covered bridges in Clermont County.  Since 1967, the one has been the one in Stonelick Township.  Historians and engineers went back and forth on the restoration plans and found some middle ground.  This could change things, but the engineer says Catherine Rush-Ossenbeck will eventually have a new view of an old covered bridge. Manager said, We'll definitely rebuild.  The question is how much of the historic wooden structures can be re-used. Now the priority is to get as much of the old bridge out of the creek before it rises and takes it away 135 years after it arrived.  A county bridge inspector and three workers were on the bridge when it collapsed.  Since the siding had been removed from the trusses, they were able to get out between the timbers as the walls fell.  All escaped without getting hurt.

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