Photo Provided Crews harvest timber at the county-owned industrial park property in Center Township on Wednesday. The timber will be used to rebuild the Knowlton Covered Bridge.

WOODSFIELD — The Knowlton Covered Bridge restoration project is moving forward as county crews work to cut the timber for the project.

Monroe County Commissioner Mick Schumacher said they have made significant progress this week on harvesting more than 100 white oak trees from the county-owned industrial park property in Center Township that will be used toward the complete rebuild of the historic bridge.

As of Thursday, crews had cut down 111 of the 130 trees needed for the project.

“It’s getting there. It’s been so wet and the ground never froze this winter so we have not been able to get into the woods because it would tear everything up. So we got a window and took it,” he said, adding that the county is furnishing all of the materials for the project contractor.

There was some concern among a few residents that crews were not supposed to be cutting trees at this time of year due to endangered bats utilizing trees to nest; however, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources prohibits the cutting of trees from April 1 through Oct. 1.

Schumacher noted that it has been two years since he accompanied a timber specialist into the wooded area to identify all the trees that could be used for the project. He said there has been a lot of input from bridge experts since then working to ensure everything is in its place to move forward with the complete reconstruction of the bridge.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is completely funding the estimated $1 million project with a contribution of timber being utilized as the county’s match. Schumacher said the contribution also aided in reducing the price of the project as well as being able to use native grown wood to reconstruct it.

“It’s pretty special to be building that bridge back with all homegrown Monroe County timber,” he added.

A combination of its already deteriorating condition and tough weather led to the bridge collapsing in July 2019 before it could be renovated as planned. It was originally built in 1887 with a span that stretched 195 feet across the Little Muskingum River, making it the second longest covered bridge in Ohio.

Schumacher said harvesting is the first step in the process. He said they have contracted a local Amish mill to have the timber milled to the contractor’s specifications.

He said Righter Inc., a general contractor out of Columbus, Ohio, who was awarded the contract, is working on the preliminary stages now.

“The bridge floor was actually suspended from the bridge frame and they were all hand forged so there were no seams or anything. They’re having all of these things forged by a particular artisan. … They have to do some work on the piers,” he said.

He said the company is the “premier covered bridge company” in the state.

The county must supply the materials by July with construction slated to begin this summer. Schumacher said the bridge will be completely rebuilt to its previous state using the original plans.

“The same arches, the same floor, everything,” he added.

He said he believes the project should be completed by the end of the year.