WESTPORT — The historic Westport Covered Bridge near the Decatur-Jennings County line was heavily damaged in last weekend’s series of storms when high waters tossed a large tree trunk through the side of the bridge.
Originally built in 1880, the bridge spans Sand Creek about 1.5 miles Southeast of Westport.
Constructed of timber, the bridge is 130 feet long, 16 feet wide and 13 feet tall with a gable roof and the original shiplap siding.
Mike Moore of the Decatur County Highway Department is helping to coordinate efforts to save the Westport Bridge.
“We are waiting to get the official assessment of the damage but right now, it does not look like the structure is damaged,” said Moore.
The Westport bridge was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in June of 1982. Reconstruction work was performed on the bridge in 2004, but most of the material used in the original construction is still a part of the bridge.
"We have spoken with a company who specializes in restoring old covered bridges ,but we can’t get started on anything until we get that assessment," Moore said. "No matter what the assessment, I would imagine there are people who will want to save the bridge at any cost. It is that important to people around here."
