Indiana board denies plans to move Clay County bridge

BOWLING GREEN, Ind. (AP) - The state board that reviews historic preservation in Indiana has denied plans from the Indiana Department of Transportation regarding a historic bridge over the Eel River in Clay County.

A 3-2 vote last week by the Indiana Historic Preservation Review Board means the two-span steel truss bridge in Bowling Green will stay put for now, The (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star (http://bit.ly/1RIW6s8 ) reported.

The state transportation department was seeking approval to build a replacement bridge and move the existing structure to Brown County for use as trail crossings. Bowling Green residents in favor of keeping the bridge for use as a pedestrian walkway also presented their case to the state board.

The bridge, built in the 1930s, is on the National Register of Historic Places. National Register historian Patrick Andrus sent the state transportation department a letter in the fall saying its plans to move the bridge "would destroy" its "historic integrity" and "render it ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places."

Tommy Kleckner, director of the western regional office of Indiana Landmarks, said the preservation organization supports keeping the bridge in place. He said other communities have had success in developing historic bridges for recreational tourism, and that residents in the Bowling Green area have expressed interest in doing this.

Clay County historian Jeffrey Koehler said similar projects elsewhere "started with a dream" and have been beneficial.

"You don't know until you try," Koehler said. "In my heart, I know this will make a difference."

The transportation department hasn't withdrawn plans to move the bridge. Department spokeswoman Debbie Calder said the agency will evaluate its options moving forward after it gets formal documentation from the Historic Preservation Review Board.

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com