The design of the wooden bridges is similar to steel truss bridges, but the shortage of steel during World War I and the local access to high quality timber contributed to the use of wood as a bridge building material. By 1918, plans for covered bridges had become standardized to include open windows for light and ventilation together with such features as laminated floors and interior whitewashing. The twenty covered bridges of Lane County represent many hours of hand labor by skilled craftspeople. Recently, some of Lane County's covered bridges have become inadequate for increased traffic and commercial loads. In some cases, new bridges have been built adjacent to existing covered bridges to accommodate modern traffic needs.
Lane County has a continuous maintenance program for all County owned covered bridges.
James E. Meacham et. For information on each bridge, including photographs and driving directions, please follow the link to A Guide to Covered Bridges on the Lane County website.