Centennial Bridge is an 84-foot Howe truss covered bridge spanning the Coast Fork of the Willamette River near Cottage Grove in Lane County, Oregon. Built in 1987 to commemorate the centennial of Lane County's incorporation, it is among the newest covered bridges in Oregon's collection and a deliberate homage to the county's rich covered bridge heritage.
Constructed using traditional Howe truss methods and white-painted vertical board siding, the bridge is open to bicycle and foot traffic only. It is part of the celebrated covered bridge touring country south of Cottage Grove — one of the most concentrated groupings of covered bridges anywhere in the American West.
Centennial Bridge was built in 1987 as a commemorative project to mark the 100th anniversary of Lane County's establishment. The county chose to honor its covered bridge tradition by constructing a new bridge using authentic Howe truss methods and period-appropriate materials — resulting in a structure that preserves living knowledge of covered bridge craft rather than simply documenting past examples.
The Row River valley south of Cottage Grove contains the densest concentration of covered bridges in Lane County, including Dorena, Chambers, Stewart, and Currin bridges — all spanning the Row River within a few miles of each other. Centennial Bridge was sited in this corridor to join and complement this historic collection.
As the only modern-built covered bridge among Oregon's collection, Centennial Bridge occupies a unique position — it is simultaneously a piece of living heritage craft and a functional piece of 20th-century infrastructure. Its existence ensures that the practical knowledge of Howe truss timber construction was transmitted into the late 20th century.