The 119-year-old Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge in Waterville was almost torn down. Now it’s coming back — and local artists are painting its second act.

Built in 1907-08, the Roche de Boeuf bridge was once the longest interurban trolley bridge in the United States. It was slated for demolition, but the village of Waterville bought it, and ODOT and Kokosing crews have been rehabilitating it since July into a future non-motorized bridge for bikes and pedestrians.

Crews are now surgically removing the remaining spandrel walls and earthen fill to reveal the bridge’s Romanesque arches. Save the Bridge Association president Rex Childers told Waterville City Council on Oct. 26: “The fact that the arches and piers are going to survive, we are now confident that yes, it’s going to stand.”

The next step is fundraising to pay for testing and to hire a level-three bridge designer and a grant writer.

The bridge’s artists held a plein-air event — “Rush de Brush” — to paint it, and that artwork, plus paintings, drawings and photos from private collections dating back to the 1930s, goes on display at Deluxe Frame and Art Gallery, 19 N. River Rd. in Waterville.

The opening-night gala is Saturday, Nov. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $100, with wine and food pairings from Farnsworth Cocktail and Oyster Bar. Free public hours follow: Nov. 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Nov. 17-19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Nov. 20, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Nov. 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And if you’re in Waterville on Saturday morning, there’s more: Waterville police and fire host a free “Badges and Breakfast” on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the fire department, 751 Waterville-Monclova Rd. — free coffee, pancakes and muffins, vehicle tours, and special seating for veterans and active-duty military.

Historic photo of the Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge, circa 1900 — an illustrative file photo, not the bridge as it looks today. Credit: Digital Public Library of America, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Toledo Free Press