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Last updated on Wednesday, February 21, 2018
(BEAN BLOSSOM) - Monroe County lost its last covered bridge to a 1976 fire but now the county is rebuilding one beginning in March.
Crews will begin rebuilding the dismantled 1885 Cedar Ford bridge across Bean Blossom Creek in northern Monroe County. The single-span bridge, 127 feet long and 15 feet, 4 inches wide will span Bean Blossom Creek in Washington Township and connect North and Old Maple Grove roads.
The project will also include the realignment of approximately 1,400 feet of roadway.
The bridge had been in storage since county officials acquired it in 1975 from Shelby County.
Monroe County public works director Lisa Ridge says the bridge's siding and roof will be replaced during the estimated $1.6 million project because they were damaged during their decades in storage. Federal funds will pay for 80 percent of the cost, with Monroe County to pay the remaining 20 percent with funding from the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program.
The county once had as many as 14 covered bridges, but the last of them was destroyed in a 1976 fire that was likely arson.
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