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Evans Creek bridge will be rebuilt By BUFFY POLLOCK ROGUE RIVER - A favorite local footbridge, washed away by the New Year's flood of 1997, will soon connect Palmerton and Anna Classick Bicentennial parks once again. Skevington Crossing, a wood suspension bridge built in the late 1980s across Evans Creek, must be rebuilt by the end of the year to meet requirements of a $300,000 Housing and Urban Development grant issued as flood disaster relief, explained Bev Thacker, southwest team regional coordinator for the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. Thacker said engineering was in the final phases and construction was expected to begin on the span in July or August. The new bridge should be ready to open in time for the five-year anniversary of the flood. Thacker, responsible for administering the grant, said the bridge would be built stronger, higher and wider. The original bridge, built mainly by donated labor and materials, was constructed when the city received a $16,000 grant. "But it was built in a way that washed out in a flood," said Thacker. "No floodwaters are going to touch this (new) bridge." OBEC of Eugene, who won the bid to design, engineer and manage construction of the new 234-foot span, has designed a suspension bridge with a rigid wooden deck that will also hold an 8-inch water line looping water distribution in the city, public works director Ken Johnson said. Johnson said the new structure would also sport a wider deck and 95 percent of it would be above the 100-year floodplain. Aside from some alignment and spacing issues, Johnson said, the final design of the bridge was expected to be approved soon. The bridge namesake, Council member Dick Skevington, was not available for comment Thursday, but in an earlier interview he said he was pleased the bridge would be replaced. Skevington's family lived on the property along Evans Creek for several generations, and Skevington, who built bridges for the National Park Service for 28 years, constructed the original Skevington Crossing for the city. Hope Warren, finance officer, said the community was excited about the bridge replacement. "Everyone's excited. There's a lot of anticipation and awaiting the grand opening," Warren said. "The bridge was very heavily used and was a very important connection between those two parks. It's been gone quite awhile and been greatly missed." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.