Well-made bridges last a long, long time. Virtually every county in the Unites States has a bridge or 10 or 20 on the National Register of Historic Places. The best of the ones that survive take us back into local history, a kind of ever-present memento that does more than just connect two ends of a road. They take us back to a different time.
Of course, we're not talking about the utilitarian concrete structures engineered today for full functionality but not much in the way of aesthetics. Bridges of the past that have managed to serve us into the present often do so with a certain character, a style that brings back a past we might have lived through or just witnessed through photographs and history books.
What’s the point?
The War Eagle Bridge in Benton County should be preserved as a pedestrian bridge even as the county must move forward with new plans for getting vehicles across the creek.
One of those listed on the National Register is the War Eagle Bridge, a Parker truss bridge completed in 1907 alongside a mill built by Sylvanus Blackburn 75 years before. The one-lane bridge is a popular spot for visitors in Northwest Arkansas who cross it slowly in their cars in part to take in the picturesque surroundings and, to a degree, out of respect for its age.
But the end is coming for the bridge, at least as far as it's use as a crossing for cars and trucks. It's safe for now, but state inspectors note a growing number of deficiencies that will inevitably render it obsolete for vehicles absent major work. A 2010 renovation estimate put the cost at $1.8 million. It doesn't make sense to spend that kind of money on a one-lane bridge, so County Judge Bob Clinard is now studying whether to replace it or bypass it.
If there is a bridge worth saving, it's the War Eagle Bridge, but not as a crossing for cars and trucks. A new bridge will be needed, but we hope it can be moved well away from the existing bridge, which would be a perfect pedestrian bridge. The possibility of the county partnering with historic preservation advocates for future maintenance looks like a good approach.
Hopefully, by building a new bridge and limiting the War Eagle Bridge to foot traffic, this landmark can be preserved for many decades to come. At more than 114 years old, the bridge has earned its spot on the landscape and in the hearts of local residents and many visitors.
In the debate over the bridge's future, there's only one approach for the county: Move ahead with great care.
Commentary on 01/22/2015