The grand opening of the Stonelick-Williams Corner Covered Bridge was held on April 15.

The grand opening of the Stonelick-Williams Corner Covered Bridge was held on April 15.
By Kelly Doran
Sun staff

The only covered bridge in Clermont County, which battled age, a fire, a car accident and overweight trucks, was reopened to the public after a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 15.

Over half of the wooden construction of the Stonelick-Williams Corner Covered Bridge was retained from the original bridge, which was built in 1878, well within the threshold of what has to be retained to be considered a historic covered bridge, County Engineer Pat Manger said.

The bridge was closed on May 22, 2010, after a heavy recycling truck crossed the bridge twice. The rehabilitation began in 2013, Manger said.

“The community holds this bridge very near and dear to our heart,” said Stonelick Township Trustee Skeets Humphries. It was very important to community members the bridge be restored as close to the original as possible, Humphries said.

“There’s been a lot of hard work and effort, a lot of years put into this day and I just couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this restoration of this county historic feature,” said Manger.

The bridge is so special because it is so unique, Commissioner Dave Uible said.

“It seems like anymore all we have left are cemeteries, so it’s nice to have something like this, nothing against cemeteries, but this is kind of living on into the future going forward,” Uible said.

The bridge will allow future generations to see how transportation used to be, Commissioner Bob Proud said.

In addition to aesthetic upgrades, the bridge has fire retardant on it and was treated chemically for wood boring insects, Manger said. Insects damage many bridges such as this.

There is also continuous video surveillance, Commissioner Ed Humphrey said.

There are steel rods on the bridge that were replaced, along with nuts and bolts, because they were deteriorated beyond repair, Manger said. In addition, the weight limit was increased from three tons to eight.

The bridge retains its historical Howe Truss bridge design, a rare design patented in 1840. It was also painted the original barn-red color, according to the Clermont County Engineers Office.

Proud remembers driving over the bridge during family Sunday drives. He would always roll the windows down to here the thumping noise the car made while driving over.

“It’s a part of Clermont County history and something that, you know, we identify with,” Proud said.

To end the grand opening, members of the Northern Kentucky Model T Club drove attendees, including Manger and the commissioners, over the bridge.