RENOVATED COVERED BRIDGE REOPENS

BURFORDVILLE -- Seeing schoolchildren walk across Burfordville Covered Bridge at Bollinger Mill this week brought smiles to the face of Jack Smoot, the historic-site administrator.

It has been seven years since anyone could walk across the historic bridge, which has been closed to vehicles since 1986.

An extensive renovation completed this summer reinforced the structure, allowing it to open again to historic-site visitors.

A rededication ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the historic site. An open house will be held from noon to 4 p.m.

The covered bridge is part of the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site, operated by Missouri's Department of Natural Resources.

The covered bridge stands alongside an old grist mill, both 19th-century structures. The bridge and mill along with the site's picturesque setting on the Whitewater River make it unique.

"I hope that the children who visit the mill will be able to tell their grandchildren about it, and that those grandchildren will be able to come and visit," Smoot said.

The bridge is again open daily but only to pedestrian traffic. "We may open it for vehicular traffic for special occasions when driving across the covered bridge would be a natural part of the event, maybe for a scenic driving tour or something like that," said Smoot.

The bridge, completed around 1868, was open for traffic well into the second half of this century.

A flood in 1986 moved the bridge slightly off the pillars on one end, and engineers said the bridge wasn't safe for vehicles.

Over the years floodwaters again reached the bridge several times. Each time the water did damage to the wooden structure.

In 1991, a comprehensive study of the bridge showed wooden timbers in the trusses -- the parts that hold up the bridge -- were rotting. It was closed, and people could only view it.

"We had a very comprehensive replacement of the timbers," Smoot said. "We also found that some of the metal parts had deteriorated more than we anticipated. The work was very timely and needed to be done."

St. Louis Bridge Co. of St. Louis did the repair work, which was completed in July. The project cost about $600,000, including design work and construction.

The repairs were designed to maintain the appearance of the bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

"The only visual change visitors will notice is a slight camber, a hump, in the middle," Smoot said. "It used to sag in the middle."

Some damaged siding was also replaced, but work was designed to be invisible.

The historic site annually holds an open house to collect public input and suggestions. The open house is being held in conjunction with the rededication ceremony.

Visitors will have a chance to make comments at the open house and can write down comments and submit them.

To get to the site, take Highway 34 west from Jackson to Highway OO and then Highway HH to Burfordville.