News
Historic Bridge Gets New Beams Following Arson
< < Back toRepairs are underway on a historic Fairfield County covered bridge damaged by arson last month.
According to Ohio University Lancaster Communications and Marketing Manager Cheri Russo, crews are working on the John Bright Number 2 bridge to repair sections damaged in the January 15 fire.
Demolition work will remove damaged beams and flooring and replace them with new beams and oak boards.
"We're using wood that came with the bridge when it was brought here. We didn't use all the wood when the bridge was relocated to campus. The wood has been stored in a barn for all these years," said Interim Physical Plant Director Mark Bateson.
The repairs are expected to take about a month.
The bridge is listed with the U.S. Parks Department Registry of Historic Places.
Russo says it was built in 1881 and originally stretched across Poplar Creek near Carroll.
It was brought to Ohio University Lancaster in 1988 for preservation reasons.