Area's covered bridges ready for close-up

JEFFERSON — All the area's historic covered bridges are in good shape for this weekend's annual Covered Bridge Festival, said County Engineer Tim Martin.

"I'd say, in general, they're in good condition," he said.

His department has been touching up the Netcher and State road bridges, removing graffiti and freshening up paint around the trim — "routine maintenance," he said.

"I hate to say we come to expect (graffiti), but it's just something we have to deal with," Martin said. "If we can paint over it — if it's on a section of the bridge that has staining or paint — that's the easiest way to get rid of it. ... You can try to sand it off."

Minor touch-ups aside, Martin said there hasn't been a major construction, rehabilitation or renovation project since the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge was completed in 2008. Several of the county's covered bridges are fairly new, except for the Harpersfield Covered Bridge along Harpersfield Road — one of the oldest in the county — which he said is likely next-in-line for renovation or replacement.

Time — and often water, most likely from a roof leak — has worn away several of the mid-19th century bridge's components. The 228-foot bridge was rehabilitated between 1991 and 1992, when the walkway was added, and some new steel tension components added during that project helped shore it up, Martin said. New work is in the planning stages and funding is being sought.

The structural concerns are "nothing for motorists to worry about," Martin said, and he expects the bridge will remain open up until work gets underway — but that could be years down the road.

Most of the department's funding comes from Federal Highway Administration grants, 20 percent of which comes from local matching funds. But the application to receipt window is about seven years — if the county applied today for the Harpersfield bridge, work couldn't begin until about 2022.

"That's why coming up with an estimate for the work that needs to be done and applying for the funding is obviously first," he said. "The jobs are that far out that you have to get your name in the hat."

The first step is a feasibility study to determine if it would be better to repair the existing structure or just build a whole new bridge. Ideally, the county wouldn't just toss a historic structure, and the state's historical society often has a hand in deciding what happens to them if they're replaced.

The Graham Road Covered Bridge was moved across the Ashtabula River onto park land in Pierpont Township, becoming a monument — and the only county covered bridge not open to traffic. The South Denmark Road Bridge spanning Mill Creek still stands where it was built in 1890, but was bypassed in 1975.

If the Harpersfield bridge were replaced, Martin said the cover and one of the Howe steel trusses would go too. But he added the department tries to strike a "balance" between rehabilitation or replacement. The Harpersfield bridge's exterior aesthetics are still intact.

"It'd be wonderful to save a portion of the original 1868 bridge. We wouldn't be able to save the entire structure," he said. "But weddings, gatherings, in and around the covered bridge — it'd be a real nice location there."

The Harpersfield Covered Bridge and more than a dozen others will be front-and-center during this weekend's festival. Saturday and Sunday's weather is expected to be at least partially sunny, with temperatures about 60 degrees.

"After Friday, it's supposed to be good weather, so it should be a good turnout," Martin said.

Follow Justin Dennis on Twitter @justindennis.