Knowlton Covered Bridge Collapses
Monroe County, Ohio
WGN #35-56-18
July 6, 2019: According to an email sent from James Crouse, the Knowlton Covered Bridge in Monroe County has collapsed. James suggests that the collapse could have been the result of deferred maintenance. Whatever the cause, the center span of the bridge has completely collapsed.
Television station FOX 8 Cleveland reported that the bridge collapsed around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday July 6th. The video was captured by Ron Ewers and Lorna Broemsen. Here is the link to the story with the video: 100 Year Old Bridge Collapses in Monroe County, Ohio
According to the World Guide to Covered Bridges, the bridge is located in Washington Township, Ohio and crossed the Little Muskingum River. The multiple King and Arch truss bridge was built in 1887 and consisted of three spans. The length of the bridge was 192 feet.
As of Tuesday July 9, Alan Craig of the Ohio Department of Transportation reports that "it is yet to be determined what the county will do".
Rachel Goodpaster of the Ohio Department of Transportation has forwared some pictures of the scene after the collapse. The pictures were taken with the use of a drone by Matt Halfhill of the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Editor's note: Thanks to Bill Caswell, James Crouse, Tom Barrett, and Rachel Goodpaster for bringing this to our attention.
