What This Plan Covers
This proposal lays out a clear, sequenced path for restoring the Priest Ford Bridge and putting it to safe, productive use — from the immediate safety fix through long-term operations. Each phase below builds on the one before it.
- 01Executive Summary
- 02Background & Public Safety History
- 03Phase Overview
- 04Phase 1 — Safety, Inspection, Legal Transfer & Entity Formation
- 05Phase 2 — Permanent Gates & Private Financing
- 06Phase 3 — Venue Build-Out
- 07Phase 4 — Public Access, Giving & Local Partnerships
- 08Phase 5 — Adaptation, Weatherproofing & Expansion
- 09What Is Being Requested of the County
- 10Next Steps
Executive Summary
The Priest Ford Bridge is a camelback truss bridge that has been closed and abandoned since 2001. It draws regular attention from photographers and local history enthusiasts, but sits with no formal safety measures, no current inspection, and no plan for its long-term preservation. Left as-is, the bridge represents a growing liability for the County and a continuing safety risk to anyone who climbs or swings from it.
This plan requests that Delaware County grant Brandon Cook the rights needed to take over responsibility for the bridge — through deed transfer or right-of-way agreement, as the County prefers — and execute a five-phase restoration and reuse plan. The bridge would be restored to a safe, code-compliant condition, converted into an event and wedding venue, and operated with recurring public benefit: free community access days, a standing 10% profit donation to a local nonprofit, and partnerships with local small businesses.
In exchange, the County gains: a safety hazard brought under professional management, an inspection finally requested and addressed, an abandoned structure restored and maintained at private expense, and new property and business tax revenue from a site that currently generates none.
Background & Public Safety History
This is not a new concern, and it is not a minor one. The bridge has previously drawn Fox News coverage that referred to it as the “Brokeback Bridge” after a citizen jumped from the structure and broke their back.
On June 20, 2016, a news article featured then-County Engineer Angie Moyer and County Commissioner Shannon Henry both stating that someone was going to get hurt or killed at the bridge, with the Commissioner adding:
“I wish someone would take it over.”