Group aims to preserve 134-year-old Springfield bridge

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) – An Iowa-based nonprofit has targeted one of Oregon’s oldest bridges for preservation.

The Register-Guard reports the 134-year-old Hayden Bridge in Springfield has been little used over the past quarter-century.

But the North Skunk River Greenbelt Association sees value, and hopes to raise nearly $100,000 to re-deck the wrought and cast iron truss bridge.

In recent years, the group has restored or crafted plans to restore more than 30 historic bridges across the country, mostly in the Midwest and East Coast.

Executive director Julie Bowers says she learned of the Hayden Bridge two years ago from a news article about Weyerhaeuser’s plan to demolish it. She contacted the company and flew out to Springfield to discuss ways to save it.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com