Myrtle Creek bridge a pillar of history

In January, after 21 months of research, design and construction, the Myrtle Creek Bridge was restored once more to a sturdy, two-lane structure — historical aesthetics intact.

The effort to preserve the high Gothic arches and Romanesque hand-rails was a decision made by the county, a tribute to one man’s quest to instill beauty in the mundane.

Conde McCullough became Oregon’s bridge engineer in 1919 and headed the Oregon State Highway Department’s bridge design and construction program. By 1925, he’d reportedly designed and supervised the construction of more than 600 bridges within the state.

“He said not only are we going to build bridges, but we’re going to build them beautiful,” said Kerry Werner, bridge engineer for the Douglas County Public Works Department.

Two of the bigger bridges McCullough completed in the ’20s were the Myrtle Creek Bridge and the Robert A. Booth Bridge, also known as the Winchester bridge.

Built in 1921, the design for the Myrtle Creek bridge, which would connect the north entrance of the South County town to Interstate 5, called for three wide arches — each one spanning 130 feet. McCullough was well known for his arch bridges and, according to Robert Hadlow, senior historian for the Oregon Department of Transportation, the engineer was most comfortable with that form.

Around 2006, it became apparent the bridge in Myrtle Creek was worn and needed widening. The county made the decision to preserve the historical architecture.

“The team said we don’t want to lose this old bridge,” Werner said. “One (reason) is the historic value of it, and from the engineering aspects, the old bridge was in bad shape, but could be rehabilitated.”

Werner said it was very clear after meeting with the Myrtle Creek City Council and concerned citizens that the community was attached to the bridge. Despite its poor shape, the bridge was a prime candidate for rehabilitation because its arches were still strong.

So began the process of restoring the historic masterpiece.

With 130 pages of plans, the Oregon Bridge Engineering Company studied the elements that would allow them to preserve McCullough’s design as well as to build a structure that would guarantee a bridge life of more than 75 years.

The plan consisted of a mirroring process.

“We opted to build a twin next to it and then tie them together,” said Werner, simplifying the explanation.

The two bridges are tied together at the foundation and under the deck. The new bridge matches the old bridge exactly in design.

“That gave us a nice, wide bridge, very strong and capable of carrying loads way into the future,” said Werner.

McCullough is most famous for the art deco pylons and obelisks that define the bridges that close the gaps over streams and rivers lining Highway 101.

On the Oregon coast, a bridge is more than a simple path connecting one side to the other.

The structures are symbolic of Oregon’s history during the Great Depression and of McCullough’s desire to combine art and engineering.

Hadlow said there were two points to McCullough’s bridges, and they included state-of-the-art engineering and architectural interest while highlighting the coast’s attractions.

“People were pulling over to see his bridges,” said Hadlow. “He felt the extra cost in making these bridges beautiful was money well spent.”

The bridges were constructed by hand, taking about three years to complete, which, according to Werner and Hadlow, created jobs during the Depression.

“Many of McCullough’s bridges in the ’30s were constructed under the auspices of New Deal agencies,” said Hadlow.

Werner explained that in the state of Oregon, under President Franklin Roosevelt’s make-work plan, there were rules against using power tools.

“You had to use hand tools to create longer jobs, so this is what we got as a heritage, is these gorgeous bridges,” said Werner.

The ornate designs lured tourists to the coast, boosting the economy of small communities and allowing a connection between them for the first time.

Recreating the McCullough design on the old Myrtle Creek Bridge was challenging for the Oregon Bridge Engineering Company, which Werner said consisted of a dozen to 18 people. The construction itself was no easy feat, either.

“The crew that built it was upward of two dozen people. It was very labor intensive work,” said Werner. “Some of these fore(men) have not built a bridge like this. It was a special challenge to build like their grandfathers.”

Hadlow praised the efforts of the company to maintain the historic aesthetics of the structure.

“It’s great that the engineers involved in this project took on the challenge,” he said. “It’s a real tribute to their profession to emulate the feel and class of a structure McCullough designed.”

Werner was also pleased with the finished product, completed in its entirety in January, and is satisfied generations to come will see a true McCullough design.

“Somebody will look at that bridge someday and it will be dark gray and weathered and there will be chips on it and they’ll say, ‘That’s what it looked like back then.”’



• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@newsreview.info.