gilky bridge hit

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SCIO, Ore., Sept. 28, 2007 - "Well folks," comments Trish Kane, "sometimes we just have to shake our heads and wonder what people are thinking. Yesterday, we received a card from our dear friend Bill Cockrell in Oregon. In it, he shared the attached photos of the Gilkey Covered Bridge. He writes that a farm implement truck nearly destroyed this bridge last week. It sped through the bridge with its rear boom up and extended. All the upper bracing was broken and even a diagonal in the truss was destroyed. The bridge will be closed for a month or more.

The truck took out some of the bridge's support beams, making the bridge structurally unsound, according to investigators. It will be closed for the next month. The driver of the truck will be ticketed, according to deputies. Alcohol was not a factor.

"The trucking company has insurance," emailed Bill Cockrell, "so the bridge will be repaired."

The 120-foot Gilkey Bridge, OR-22-04, was built in 1939 using the Howe Truss to span Thomas Creek.

For details and more photos, go to http://www.kptv.com/news/14140568/detail.html

The photos below were taken by Bill Cockrell, president, Oregon Covered Bridge Society.

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