SEYMOUR, Ind. (AP) _ Work is off to a slow start on a $1 million preservation project for a 19th century wooden covered bridge in southern Indiana.

The main contractor was expected to begin work in the spring on the Shieldstown Covered Bridge in rural Jackson County, but the project manager says that company had trouble finding enough white oak to replace floor beams, arches and posts.

The (Seymour) Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1HBhINC ) project manager Brad Isaacs says crews started this week removing some of the bridge's wooden siding. He's concerned whether the repairs can be finished by the August 2016 deadline.

The bridge was built in 1876 over the East Fork of the White River about five miles west of Seymour. It's been closed to vehicle traffic since 1980 but remains a tourist attraction.