Bridges Spanning Western Washington

The engineering subjugation of Western Washington’s waterways has enabled transportation access throughout topography as hostile to travel as the inclement weather. The diverse solutions employed to span the regions numerous water bodies has resulted in a hybrid combination of architectural era styling, pragmatism, and innovation.

Western Washington features a diverse landscape punctuated and sometimes isolated by the rugged Olympia National Mountain Range and Puget Sound. Over time, bridge material fatigue and evolving design advances have necessitated modifications and refurbishment to the original constructions. Architecture is organic and bridge technology has advanced at pace with other structural disciplines.

Western Washington’s bridges often lack the iconic stature and artistry as exhibited along neighboring Oregon’s coastline. Washington’s highway department cannot boast of a comparable designer like Conde McCullough within their history. The majority of spans appear simply functional extensions of their connecting roadways and border invisibility.

These bridges have seemingly suffered a disproportionate amount of destruction and reputation damage compared to their neighboring states. From Galloping Gertie’s 1940 Tacoma Narrows collapse to the 1990 pontoon sinkage of the Lacy Murrow Bridge, violent wind and rain have historically walloped certain crossings into oblivion. An accidental barge collision provided the necessary federal funding for the replacement West Seattle Bridge and serial Green River killer Gary Ridgeway designated the Meeker Street Bridge in Kent as his personal cadaver-dumping site.

Eventually following each unique misfortune and repair, operations have returned to normal. Residents of Washington are renowned for their resilience. They may complain about extended rain stretches, perpetual gray winter skies, and chill, but these adverse conditions are anticipated nuisances that must be endured. Their state bridges mirror this rugged survivalist mentality and resist the capricious temperament of the state’s weather patterns.

The state of Washington features over 8,000 lakes within its territory. Thirty-five rivers flow into Puget Sound and water comprises over 40% of the total area of the city of Seattle. Bridges are imperative. The profiled forty-one bridges represent many of the more prominent and recognized.

This edition celebrates their diversity of design and landscape symmetry. Each profile provides an overview of construction elements and dimensions, distinctive history, and approximate daily usage.