View the Future is happy to announce that after months of planning and collaboration with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) for a new replacement bridge over Amanda Creek, it now appears that the project will move forward. The new Amanda suspension Bridge will connect the Amanda Trail to the Oregon Coast Trail and stretch in excess of 175-feet across, and 25-feet above the Amanda Creek. The majority of the bridge located on Joanne Kittel’s property will connect to Forest Service property leading to Cape Perpetua. The cost of the bridge will be about $300,000 not including time spent by agencies and volunteers in planning, site preparation, etc.
Why a suspension bridge? With the documented history of mudslides in that canyon as a result of logging and climate change, no bridge design or engineering could withstand the impact of such a debris flow as we had. The decision is to build a bridge high enough to avoid destruction by these future events.
Some funding will come from FEMA, allotted to OPRD following the destruction of the original Amanda bridge. Additional funding and support has been pledged through partnerships with View the Future, Siuslaw National Forest, City of Yachats, Yachats Trails Committee, Angell Job Corps, and the Cape Perpetua Foundation. More partnerships are anticipated. No dates have been set yet for when site preparation and bridge construction will begin. As soon as the bridge design and engineering is finished View the Future will post additional details on our web site and Facebook sites. Grant applications have been initiated and donations for the bridge in any amount are gratefully accepted through View the Future via mail at PO Box 443, Yachats, OR. 97498 or via this website.
