The South Haven Convention and Visitors Bureau is sorry to see the Nichols Family Covered Bridge be demolished as part of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources paving project on the Kal Haven Trail. The bridge sat on a 150-year-old railroad trestle and the cover is believed to have been added in the late 1980s. For more than 30 years, the covered bridge has been a highlight of the Kal-Haven Trail for both tourists and South Haven residents, but the DNR’s plan was to start taking it out this week. That’s why lovers of the bridge held a farewell event this past weekend. Bureau Director Jennifer Sistrunk says the organization did everything it could to maintain the historical significance and integrity of the covered bridge. It offered $100,000 in funding to kick off local fundraising efforts for a new bridge cover, but the DNR declined. However, the DNR did agree to save and store remnants of the covered bridge in South Haven for future use. Sistrunk says local groups are now brainstorming plans to preserve and repurpose the original bridge’s materials to keep its legacy alive through new projects.