Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The major work on Weddle Bridge is expected to be completed this week, according to Sweet Home Community Development Coordinator Carol Lewis.
The replacement of the upper chord and the sister chord, large beams in the upper structure of the bridge, is complete, she said. Work on the truss is done, and the bridge has been “tuned” and tightened up.
It was beginning to sag in the middle, she said. The tuning helped pull the bridge straight.
It also has been painted inside and out.
Most of the roof was replaced before the structural work, but the portion over the area with structural problems was left until later.
With the structural work done, all that remains is that section of the roof, Lewis said. That will be finished the second week of July.
The timbers that were replaced were from the 1930s, Lewis said. The timbers were heavily rotted.
The replacement cost approximately $26,000. Roofing will cost about $28,000 total, and engineering for the upper chord cost about $3,000, for a total cost of approximately $57,000 to date.
Much of the cost was reduced through donations from companies such as Mike Melcher and Jim Cota’s Fun Forest Products, which supplied the timbers. Hoy’s True Value provided paint, and Sweet Home Economic Development Group donated $20,000 to the cause.
Several other companies, organizations and individuals have donated as well.
The bridge may be reopened on the Sankey Park end of the bridge, but the gates on the high school end of the bridge and on Dahlenburg Bridge will remain locked most of the time, Lewis said. The bridge will be ready for use during the Oregon Jamboree in August.