Dedication of the Stevenson Road Covered Bridge
Greene County Engineer, Bob Geyer, has announced the dedication of the historical marker and the ribbon cutting for the newly restored Stevenson Road Covered Bridge for Friday, December 4 at 11 A.M., at the bridge site. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.
The bridge is a Smith Truss manufactured by the Smith Bridge Company in 1873. The company was originally located in Tippecanoe, Ohio, now Tipp City, before moving to Toledo in the 1880’s to be closer to rail and water transportation. The innovator of the structure was Robert Smith, a master carpenter, who held patents on various parts of the structure. He was also believed to have been the first person in the country to prefabricate covered bridges. The Stevenson Road Covered Bridge is 96 feet in span over Massie’s Creek and is the second Smith Truss restored by the county in the last couple of years. There are very few Smith Trusses left in the country and Greene County is blessed with two; the other being a 136 foot span on Engle Mill Road which was completed in 2013. Engle Mill Road is one of the longest Smith Trusses remaining in the entire country. The Stevenson Road Covered Bridge will be lit at night and will have electronic surveillance. It is hoped that the people of Greene County will treasurer these structures as they represent a rich transportation history that is local from fabrication to construction.
Next year, work will start on the Ballard Road Covered Bridge which will complete the restoration of the three remaining original covered bridges in the county. All three projects are funded 80% by FHWA with funds specifically set aside for the restoration of covered bridges. The remaining 20% are funds from the local Bridge Levy.