Hayden Bridge, Iron truss bridge in Springfield, United States
Hayden Bridge is a double intersection Whipple truss structure made of wrought iron and cast iron spanning the McKenzie River. The design incorporates hollow wrought iron columns and cast iron connections to create a lightweight yet strong framework.
Hayden Bridge was fabricated in 1882 by Clarke, Reeves & Company at Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and erected by Central Pacific Railroad over the Bear River near Corinne, Utah, replacing a wooden bridge on the first transcontinental railroad. Southern Pacific Railroad bought it and reassembled it over the McKenzie River at Springfield in 1901, leasing it to the Oregon and California Railroad for the Marcola logging branch. The last train crossed on September 3, 1987.
The bridge's only cast-iron parts are its nameplates, ornamental medallions and brake-wheel designs. The medallions sit where the diagonal portal bracings cross, and the brake-wheel motifs are on the corner portal brackets, echoing the bridge's railroad work.
The bridge stands near the junction of Marcola, Old Mohawk and Camp Creek roads, beside the road bridge of the same name; the Eugene Water & Electric Board water collection facilities are next to it. It reopened as a pedestrian crossing in 2019, so walkers reach it on foot over the McKenzie River.
Hayden Bridge is one of only two Phoenixville bridges left in the Pacific Northwest and fewer than 75 wrought-iron truss bridges survive today. Its cast-iron nameplates, ornamental medallions and brake-wheel brackets are the structure's only cast-iron parts.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,114 contributors worldwide.
