Lowell Covered Bridge

The Lowell Bridge crosses an arm of Dexter Reservoir, formed by the Middle Fork Willamette River, in the town of Lowell southeast of Eugene. Built in 1945 to replace an earlier ferry crossing, the 165-foot Howe truss span is tied with Goodpasture as one of Oregon's longest covered bridges and holds the distinction of being the widest, its extra-broad deck originally built to accommodate two lanes of traffic and heavier log-truck loads moving through the valley's timber economy. The construction of Dexter Dam and its reservoir in the early 1950s altered the waterway the bridge spans, but the bridge itself survived the changing landscape and continued to serve local traffic. A modern highway bridge eventually took over the primary vehicle route, after which the historic span was preserved as a local landmark and pedestrian route, now sitting adjacent to Lowell's downtown and near the Lowell Covered Bridge Interpretive Center, which houses local history exhibits. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 1979, the Lowell Bridge remains one of the most substantial and easily accessible covered bridges in Lane County's collection.