Lane County closes Deadwood Covered Bridge weekdays for painting work

Deadwood Covered Bridge will be closed during the day on weekdays for a painting project, forcing drivers onto Deadwood Creek Road from May 18 through July 1.

Lane County said the closure will run Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Deadwood Loop Road where it crosses Deadwood Creek. The bridge will reopen in the evenings and on weekends, giving residents and visitors a window to use the crossing outside work hours.

The daytime-only schedule still matters in west Lane County, where one road can carry a much larger share of daily life than it would in a denser part of the county. School runs, work commutes, supply deliveries, mail service, recreational trips and routine access for nearby households will all have to adjust during the 7.5-hour closure window. Drivers who normally use the covered bridge will need to build in time for the detour and expect more traffic on Deadwood Creek Road.

The bridge itself is one of Lane County’s better-known historic spans. It was built in 1932 by county bridge builder Miller Sorenson for $4,814 and carries Deadwood Loop Road over Deadwood Creek as a 105-foot Howe truss. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, underscoring its value beyond day-to-day traffic.

The county had already replaced the crossing in the 1970s with a concrete bridge just half a mile away, but the covered bridge remained part of the local landscape. In 1986, Lane County rehabilitated it by replacing siding, flooring and portals and repairing the bracing, roof and approaches. Travel material says the bridge reopened to traffic in October 1986.

Local tourism descriptions also help explain why the span has drawn attention for decades. The bridge was built on a curve, and its flooring was installed on a slant to make entering the bridge safer. It also has a long window along the north side, a detail that has made it a recognizable landmark for people driving through the Deadwood area.

For the next several weeks, the practical message is simple: daytime weekday access will be interrupted, but evenings and weekends will remain open. In a rural part of Lane County where Deadwood Loop Road still carries everyday travel, that schedule will shape how people move around the area until painting work is finished.