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Covered Bridge in Catawissa Damaged by Strong Winds

CATAWISSA TOWNSHIP — Strong winds are also to blame for damaging a covered bridge in Columbia County. County officials say the bridge that has been around...
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CATAWISSA TOWNSHIP -- Strong winds are also to blame for damaging a covered bridge in Columbia County.

County officials say the bridge that has been around since the 1800s will now need to be repaired.

There are 23 covered bridges in Columbia County and a lot of them were built in the 1800s. After Monday night's winds with gusts up to 50 miles per hour, the county will now have to pay to fix the Hollinsghead Bridge.

This covered bridge in Columbia County has dodged a lot of storms in its 165 years but the strong winds on Monday were no match for the bridge near Catawissa.

"It was torn off like a couple a weeks ago but not that bad," said George Waters of Catawissa Township. "It wasn't completely off. But now it's off."

The Hollingshead Bridge was built in 1851 and it's on the National Register of Historic Places.

Residents who live nearby say the winds in this area in the last 24 hours have been wild.

"It was really windy," said Kevin Millard. "We had a couple of trees fall at our house."

The bridge which sits over Catawissa Creek is owned by Columbia County.  Commissioners say they will have to hire a contractor to fix the 34 feet of the roof that ripped off.  From the inside looking out you can see the sunlight.

People in this part of Catawissa Township say this covered bridge is a beautiful and important part of the community. That's why many are hoping it gets the repairs it needs.

Columbia County commissioners say they don't know how much it will cost to repair the covered bridge.

Brothers George and Robert Waters say hopefully the entire bridge gets fixed.

"It needs to be rebuilt again."

"If they want it to be here another 150 years, they should spend it."

Others say it's important to make sure one of the county's 23 covered bridges stays in good shape.

Commissioners in Columbia County tell Newswatch 16 they will be placing a bid to have the bridge fixed. There's no timeline for how long that will take. In the meantime the bridge will remain open.

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