Medora, Indiana
Fri, Sept. 2, 2010, The west abutment continues to rise. The new skewback stones are in place. The SR 235 Bridge, which replaced the Medora Covered Bridge, is in the background. The top picture shows the arches, king posts and lower cords being replaced as needed.
Mon., Aug., 30, 2010, The West abutment is going back up. Overall, the stones are in very good shape and are being reused. The skewback stones showed considerable wear and are being replaced. They will be in the next row of stones. Concrete is being used for re-enforcement to help keep the stones from pulling apart (See the Bridge Highlights page, the fourth picture from the top.).
Sat., Aug. 28, 2010, There was significant progress this week. On the east span, the king posts, arches and lower cords are being inspected and removed as needed. Because of severe damage, some of the king posts are being replaced.
The work on the abutment on the west end has begun.
Fri., August 20, 2010, The work on the bridge is moving forward.
Many of the visitors to the bridge are not aware of the restoration project and wonder if it is being dismantled. It is fun to watch the change on their faces when they learn that it is being restored.
The west span has been raised and the abutment stones have been removed. They have been tagged and will be inspected for reuse.
The Subfloor has been inspected and the damaged boards are being removed. As much as possible is being salvaged.
The arches are being inspected and the damaged sections will be replaced as needed. As much as possible is being salvaged for reuse.
Wed. Aug. 18, 2010, A phone call yesterday afternoon revealed that the Guthrie Creek Swinging Bridge has been removed. There are no details as to why. There is a picture of the swinging bridge on the Area Attractions page of this website and information will be posted there as it is received.
Sat, Aug 14, 2010, A lot has happened since the last update. While taking up the top floor on the east end, it was found that the sub floor had extensive damage. The entire top floor has been removed so the sub floor can be inspected. When the final decision is made as to the proper course of action, it will be posted on this site.
Fri., July 30, 2010, The picture at the left shows the pile driving hammer in action. In the picture on the right an elm log is being lowered into the water to be driven into the river bed. The logs will support the walkway. Elm is used because it is difficult to split. On the far right is one of the hollow steel pilings that has been filled with concrete. These will support the I-Beams when the west span of the bridge is raised.
Tue., July 27, 2010, In the three pictures above, the first two show that the east section of the bridge is being raised. It takes eleven days, raising the bridge some each day with hydraulic jacks. In the third picture the arch is no longer resting on the skewback stone. The necessary work will take place when the span reaches the desired level.
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Thur., July 15, 2010. The skin has been taken off and the structural work is beginning. In the two pictures above, The first shows the flashing with the boards remaining. Everything posssible will be salvaged. Everything else will be replaced. The second shows the batten boards that will cover the seams in the weather boards. This is the actual color the boards will be when placed on the bridge.
This site will continue to be updated as progress is made.
