One of six historic covered bridges in Oregon's Douglas County, this feature focuses on the Rochester Covered Bridge. Built by Floyd Frear in 1933, the Rochester Bridge is located about three miles west of Sutherlin, not too far from Interstate 5. Spanning the Calapooya River, the bridge is open to traffic on Rochester Road. Although it's not far from one of the largest cities in Douglas County, covered bridge fans will quickly find they're in a rural part of the county when tracking down this bridge.
   Parking near the bridge is a little troublesome, but once you've secured a parking spot, seeing the unique details inside the bridge is well worth the trip. While many bridges utilize some type of windows, or portals, this one-of-a-kind bridge features unique side-wall windows with curved tops. With four windows on each side, the arched openings are finished off with rather large, sloping window sills. Noticeable from a head-on view, its exposed beams along the gable ends are purely for aesthetics.
   Today, 50 of Oregon’s historic covered bridges remain — the largest concentration in western United States. Many are within an easy drive from the I-5 corridor. For covered bridge buffs, Travel Oregon has set up a three day itinerary to see as many as 40 bridges, depending on the amount of driving you want to do and how early you want to get started.

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