The Knights Ferry covered bridge, closed in December 2022 for repair and restoration, won’t reopen to pedestrians for at least five more years, according to the Sacramento District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The structure in the community 12 miles east of Oakdale is a national historic landmark and was fenced off after an evaluation discovered wood deterioration. Until the project receives funding, the Army Corps of Engineers’ primary job is to maintain the bridge, which spans 330 feet across the Stanislaus River.
“It’s top priority for us here, right now. Our main goal is to maintain it, and we do routine inspections to make sure it’s not degrading, and that we’re taking care of it while we’re getting the big fix,” John Mueller, operations manager with the engineering corps, said. “But it is definitely a high priority to us to maintain and provide this historic, important bridge to the community and to the public.”
Funding for projects the Army engineers work on is determined by the federal budget, and the Knights Ferry Bridge is on the funding request list through the 2027 fiscal year budget. In 2025, the Sacramento district was able to get the bridge evaluated to better understand the bridge’s composition, a first step in the process of repair…