CENTERVILLE — The Honey Run Covered Bridge will rise again after receiving a Camp Fire settlement for its reconstruction.
The nonprofit mounting the project, the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association, announced today that the Fire Victim Trust awarded a total of $4.7 million — with the HRCBA’s portion ample to cover the rest of the rebuild. Work at the site could resume by the fifth anniversary of the Camp Fire in November, depending on weather and logistics.
“It’s been a long road, but we are inspired by how much this bridge has meant to area residents and how much they want it rebuilt,” said Walt Schafer, HRCBA president and 45-year resident of Butte Creek Canyon. “HRCBA is grateful for the support of many local businesses and foundations, and the hundreds of area residents whose donations are vital in the rebuild.”
The settlement, which Schafer told this newspaper is “penned and signed” and confirmed in a letter, is “sufficient for the rebuild to progress to completion.” The HRCBA should get an initial installment of $2.1 million in two to three weeks. The estimated cost of the second phase of construction is $2.2 million; the first phase, funded by donors, cost $1.2 million, and the group now can start planning the final phase.
“Thanks are due to staff and leadership of the Fire Victim Trust who came to see the significance of the iconic Covered Bridge rebuild to residents of Butte County and beyond,” Schafer said. “They understand this is not only a structure — it is a symbol of this region’s resilience, recovery and unity.”
HRCBA plans to hold a commemoration on-site on Nov. 8, he said, regardless of “wherever construction is at that point.”
That day five years ago is when the Camp Fire whipped over the Paradise ridge into Butte Creek Canyon and completely burned the 133-year-old structure that spans Butte Creek. The wildfire remains the deadliest in California history, claiming 85 lives; the enclosed wooden bridge was among 19,000 buildings the blaze destroyed.
Phase 1 of the rebuild — erecting support pylons — finished in November 2020. HRCBA hoped to have the second phase — the floor and trusses — completed by the fire’s fifth anniversary but lacked the funding to continue. (The third phase encompasses siding and the roof.) The group asked the Butte County Board of Supervisors for a $2.5 million loan from the county’s settlement; however, the board denied the request after learning such a loan wouldn’t fall within the parameters of its recovery funds.
With costs covered, the issue to resolve is timing. Schafer said the manufacturer of the bridge’s components, Oregon-based Western Woods Structures, could deliver 12 weeks after getting the go-ahead; but the weather may impact when and where the contractor places the cranes required for assembly, which also would take 12 weeks.
“We don’t want to get Western Woods started and then have all the materials sitting up in their yard for several months if they can’t bring it down here immediately (after completion),” Schafer said. “So the start date is uncertain.”
HRCBA continues to raise funds to support operations at Covered Bridge Park. Visit hrcoveredbridge.org for information.
