ODOT release – SCOTTSBURG – Lined with steep hills and tall trees, Oregon Highway 38 can be a dark and challenging drive for some travelers. But ODOT has lit the way for those who pass through the small town of Scottsburg. Recently, ODOT turned on the lights of the pylons at each end of the new Scottsburg Bridge, which spans the Umpqua River about 15 miles east of Reedsport. According to ODOT Southwest Area Manager Chris Hunter, the lights aren’t just for decoration. “It brings an awareness of the bridge in foggy weather and darkness,” Hunter said, noting that the old bridge had often been hit by vehicles at night and during foul weather. Bob Grubbs, the ODOT engineer who led the design of the new bridge, said the pylons are an homage to Conde B. McCullough, who created many of Oregon’s most celebrated bridges along the coast in the 1920s and 1930s. “The design of the pylons was inspired by a couple of McCullough bridges, a combination of the Umpqua River Bridge (in Reedsport), in terms of height and relative shape, and the Springfield Bridge, in terms of the opening, light and texture,” Grubbs said. The original Scottsburg Bridge opened in 1929 and carried highway traffic until May of this year, when it was decommissioned and removed. Grubbs said the old Scottsburg Bridge shared the same design with the Springfield Bridge, which also opened in 1929. Construction on the new Scottsburg Bridge began in early 2020 and is nearly complete. Some work, such as the reconstruction of Main Street under the bridge, will be postponed until weather improves next spring. For more information, contact ODOT Public Information Officer Dan Latham at 541-817-5200 or Dan.Latham@odot.oregon.gov.
