Beginning this week, the historic Germantown Covered Bridge will undergo renovation designed to address structural concerns and support the longevity of the community landmark. This work, funded by $1 million in regional and state grants, will allow the bridge to be once again eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, the work will include installation of new white oak floor beams, the replacement of overstressed or substandard truss elements, and replacement of the roof. A mesh and cable railing will also be added to meet safety requirements while minimizing visual impacts to the structure. The existing bowstring suspension system and stone abutments will be retained. By limiting replacement activities to only deficient and substandard features, the project will retain approximately 93% of the original bridge fabric.

Work is expected to be finished this fall. Due to the bridge’s closure for this summer and fall, events that use the bridge for runs or biking will need to make adjustments. The annual September Twisted Pretzel bike ride is already being rerouted due to this construction.

Grant Funding
Due to work by the City of Germantown dating back to 2022 to secure funding, nearly all of the cost of the $1 million Covered Bridge construction will be covered by grants.

Funds are coming from the Ohio Department of Transportation through the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, the State of Ohio through the General Assembly’s capital budget, and Montgomery County Community Development Block Grant funds. ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds will also be used by the City, as well as the City’s general fund to cover remaining costs.

The Righter Company, Inc., out of Columbus, Ohio, will be completing the construction and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will be managing the project (with City staff closely involved).

A Troubled Bridge Over Water

The Germantown Covered Bridge has had its share of tragedy since its installation in 1870. Former editor of The Germantown Press, Delores Grunwald used her Town Crier column in February 1981 to note several of the bridge’s crises.

The bridge was damaged in 1906 while it was still on Dayton Pike when a metal tractor crushed the floorboards and tore loose the inverted bowstring truss.

The Covered Bridge was moved to its current location in 1911, saving it from the damaging waters of the 1913 flood, but it weathered a number of storms, including one in 1959, which still stands as the top storage event in the history of the Germantown Dam.

The historical marker at the site of the Germantown Covered Bridge notes it was restored in 1963 by a group of community leaders, but the bridge continued to have trouble.

In the 1970s, while the Germantown Covered Bridge was still open to vehicle traffic, the bridge sustained damage from multiple trucks and was threatened by an influx of pigeons.

But nothing in recent history has been as hard on the bridge as when it collapsed in 1981. News accounts say that in the early morning hours of February 19, 1981, a 1972 Chevrolet driven by David Bush slammed into the large northeast support post. The damage caused the bridge to collapse about two hours after the impact, leaving community members to work quickly in the early morning to salvage and identify parts, before they were carried away by the creek. Bush was charged with reckless operation and disorderly conduct.

In a February 26, 1981 article about the bridge damage, Germantown Press editor Delores Grunwald poetically described the scene, “When finally, it crashed into the creekbed, the roof broke into three sections, and the town’s historic inverted bowstring covered bridge heaved one last shudder and settled into the water, a sagging ramp of shattered timber and twisted iron.”

A news account from 1981 quoted a representative of the Montgomery County Historical Society telling the Germantown City Council, “The bridge ceased to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places the minute it fell into the creek.”

After a period of doubt about its future, the bridge was restored by 1982 and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and City ceremony.

“The historic bridge stands as a cornerstone monument to the city and a symbol of the community’s deep connection to our heritage,” said Mayor Terry Johnson in a City announcement. “I want to thank the persistent work of City staff members for bringing the project to this point, with recognition to Pat Higgins for securing critical grant funding. Special thanks goes to State Representative Tom Young for his efforts in helping secure State funding to support the restoration and construction effort as well,” Johnson concluded. “Because of the dedication of all involved, the Covered Bridge will continue to stand for generations to come.”

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