Fernbridge, originally Eel River Bridge,[2] is a 1,320-foot-long (402.3 m) reinforced concrete arch bridge designed by American engineer John B. Leonard which opened on November 8, 1911[3][4] at the site of an earlier ferry crossing of the Eel River.

[3][4] The nearly one-quarter-mile (0.4 km) span cost US$245,967 (equivalent to $8,043,000 in 2023) to build, and consumed millions of board feet of local redwood timber for the framing.

[8] During repairs the first end span was removed and an earthen embankment was built which shortened the bridge by about 20 feet (6.1 m).

[1][6] In 1995, Fernbridge served as the set for scenes in the movie Outbreak, where a string of U.S. Army tanks rolls across the bridge accompanied by low-flying assault helicopters.

For the 100th anniversary celebration on August 7, 2011, a ceremony was held, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic,[16] a run over and back was held as was done on opening day in 1911, a parade of historic vehicles and local dignitaries crossed over, and a Ferndale resident borrowed construction lights and lit it at night.

[17] The Ferndale Museum produced a video related to the bridge and continues to exhibit information about its history.

[18] On December 20, 2022, an earthquake damaged the bridge, and the California Highway Patrol temporarily closed it to all traffic for a few weeks.

The deaths of two dogs after going swimming in the river near Fernbridge occurred on September 5, 2024 due to cyanobacteria in blue-green algae which is known to happen during times of warm weather and low water flow.