Westfir Office Covered Bridge Closed for Holiday Lighting Event
The Office Covered Bridge on Old Mill Road in Westfir was closed to vehicle traffic on Saturday December 6 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the community annual holiday lighting event, a one day full span closure announced by Lane County. The closure, posted via the county FlashAlert feed on December 1, affected travel through the town and raised questions about alternate routing and emergency access for local residents.
Lane County announced on December 1 that the Office Covered Bridge on Old Mill Road in Westfir would be closed to vehicle traffic on Saturday December 6 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the community annual holiday lighting event. The notice specified a full span closure to vehicles and did not list alternate routes, creating a temporary disruption to normal travel patterns through the area.
The closure removed the bridge from the local road network for 16 hours, a period that covered morning and evening travel peaks. Motorists planning travel in and around Westfir and Old Mill Road had been advised to expect the bridge to be closed and to plan alternate routes accordingly. Because the county did not identify alternate routes in the notice, drivers, commercial vehicles and service providers had to rely on local knowledge or real time navigation tools to navigate around the closure.
The announcement came through Lane County government FlashAlert, a standard channel for emergency and public safety notices. Posting the closure five days in advance gave residents and businesses some lead time to adjust plans. At the same time the absence of specified detours highlights a recurring tension between supporting community events and maintaining reliable, transparent traffic management for residents.
The closure for the holiday lighting event underscores several policy and operational issues for local government. Event permitting and public notice are essential, but so are clear contingency plans for emergency responders, delivery services and daily commuters. When a single span serves as a primary link, a full closure without identified alternatives can increase response times and complicate logistics for businesses that depend on predictable access.
For residents who experienced disruptions, the event affirmed the importance of active civic engagement in local transportation decisions. Reviewing county notifications, requesting clear detour plans, and seeking assurances about emergency access are practical steps community members can take. Lane County’s FlashAlert remains the official avenue for such announcements and is the first place to check for future temporary closures affecting Old Mill Road and Westfir.
