Interstate 182 Bridge

{{Short description|Highway bridge between Richland and Pasco, Washington, U.S.}}

{{Infobox bridge

|bridge_name = Interstate 182 Bridge

|image = Interstate 182 bridges over the Columbia River 1.jpg

|caption =

|official_name = Lee–Volpentest Bridges

|carries = 6 lanes of {{jct|state=WA|I|182|US|12}} and Sacagawea Heritage Trail

|crosses = Columbia River

|locale = Pasco–Richland, Washington, U.S.

|maint = Washington State Department of Transportation

|id =

|designer =

|design = Concrete arch

|material =

|spans =

|pierswater =

|mainspan =

|length = {{Convert |1=1950 |2=ft |3=m |4=1 |abbr=on }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/publications/manuals/fulltext/M23-09/I-182.pdf |title=WSDOT Bridge List M 23-09 |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |page=276 |date=June 2011 |accessdate=March 13, 2013 }}

|width =

|height =

|load =

|clearance =

|below =

|traffic = 64,000 (2016){{cite report |year=2017 |title=2016 Annual Traffic Report |page=158 |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/pdf/Annual_Traffic_Report_2016.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=September 7, 2021 |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812180326/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/pdf/Annual_Traffic_Report_2016.pdf |url-status=dead }}

|begin =

|complete =

|open = November 27, 1984

|closed =

|toll =

|coordinates = {{coord|46|15|53|N|119|14|33|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

}}

The Interstate 182 (I-182) Bridge, officially the Lee–Volpentest Bridges, is the collective name for a pair of bridges carrying Interstate 182 over the Columbia River between Pasco and Richland in the U.S. state of Washington. They are named after Glenn C. Lee, publisher of the Tri-City Herald,{{cite web | url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7818 | title=Officials dedicate the Pioneer Memorial Bridge (Blue Bridge) spanning the Columbia between Pasco and Kennewick on July 30, 1954 | publisher=HistoryLink | first=Elizabeth | last=Gibson | date=September 7, 2006 | accessdate=May 27, 2008}} and Sam Volpentest, a prominent local businessman. It is one of three bridges connecting Pasco to the other members of the Tri-Cities of Washington (Kennewick and Richland), along with the Cable Bridge and the Blue Bridge.

History

In 1894 the Timmerman ferry started operation at this site and continued operation until 1931.{{Cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |url=http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8453 |title=Ed Timmerman completes work on a cable ferry across the Columbia near present-day Richland in September 1894 |work=HistoryLink |date=January 8, 2008 }} The city of Richland, which grew rapidly beginning in the 1940s due to its proximity to the Hanford Site, proposed a bridge over the Columbia River to Pasco several times in the decade following the ferry's shutdown.{{cite news |last=Knief |first=Wally |date=July 29, 1954 |title=Richland Looks Ahead to Another Bridge |page=A8 |work=Tri-City Herald}} Most proposals in the 1960s and 1970s focused on a location north of the city at Horn Rapids Road to allow Hanford commuters to bypass the city.{{cite news |date=December 17, 1963 |title=High Bridge Endangers Vernita, Hanford Plan |page=3 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Philip |first=Jim |date=September 14, 1978 |title=Backers of N. Richland bridge hope work will start in '80 |page=60 |work=Tri-City Herald}} After Interstate 182 was approved in 1969, proposals remained for a separate, tolled crossing north of the city to be built in tandem with the interstate bridge.{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Dan |date=March 14, 1971 |title=Tri-Citians seek three new bridges |at=sec. 2, p. 6 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Philip |first=Jim |date=April 14, 1976 |title=Toll bridge work 'to begin in 4 years' |page=7 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Godfrey |first=Dennis |date=April 21, 1978 |title=Richland ferry suggested as way to justify bridge |page=7 |work=Tri-City Herald}}

Preliminary work at the bridge site, including soil tests, began in early 1978.{{cite news |date=February 22, 1978 |title=I-182 bridge site tested |page=1 |work=Tri-City Herald}} Ground was broken on the I-182 Bridge on July 8, 1981, with construction expected to be finished in late 1984 at a cost of $23.8 million.{{cite news |last=Woehler |first=Bob |date=July 9, 1981 |title=Tri-City unity praised at bridge groundbreaking |page=3 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |date=February 13, 1982 |title=Work under way on I-182's $39 million bridges |page=A19 |work=Tri-City Herald}} It was the first bridge in the state to be built with post-tensioned cast-in-place concrete, which progressed from each side of the river.{{cite news |date=February 12, 1983 |title=Pasco interstate ready in '84 |page=D4 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Godfrey |first=Dennis |date=February 12, 1983 |title=Bridge to meet in mid-stream |page=D6 |work=Tri-City Herald}} Work was delayed by approximately 90 days due to the discovery of faulty bridge bearings, which were replaced at a cost of $600,000 (of which $240,000 was paid by the state government).{{cite news |last=Ganders |first=Larry |date=October 19, 1983 |title=Bridge price up $240,000 |page=B1 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Ganders |first=Larry |date=September 3, 1983 |title=Improper bearings removed from Interstate 182 bridge |page=A7 |work=Tri-City Herald}} The final concrete pour was completed on June 26, 1984.{{cite news |date=June 27, 1984 |title=Bridging the gap |page=A1 |work=Tri-City Herald}} The westbound span was dedicated and opened to two-way traffic on November 27, 1984.{{cite news |last=Woehler |first=Bob |date=November 28, 1984 |title=$28 million interstate bridge dedicated |page=A1 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Woehler |first=Bob |date=November 25, 1984 |title=Bridge ends long commute |page=A1 |work=Tri-City Herald}} The eastbound span opened in early 1986.{{cite news |last=Woehler |first=Bob |date=March 26, 1986 |title=Barriers coming down on interstate |page=A1 |work=Tri-City Herald}}

The bridge was named for Tri-City Herald publisher Glenn C. Lee and businessman Sam Volpentest, both prominent members of the Tri-City Nuclear Industrial Council and advocates for local highway projects.{{cite news |last=Woehler |first=Bob |date=November 25, 1984 |title=Bridge named for tireless road advocates |page=C7 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Ganders |first=Larry |date=March 20, 1984 |title=I-182 bridge named in honor of Tri-City highway advocates |work=Tri-City Herald}} Others suggested for the bridge's namesake included Pasco lobbyist George L. Cook, U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, and Tri-City Herald editor Donald Pugnetti.{{cite news |last=Ganders |first=Larry |date=May 27, 1983 |title=A bridge by another name is... |page=B1 |work=Tri-City Herald}}{{cite news |last=Ganders |first=Larry |date=March 23, 1984 |title=Fuss over bridge name perplexes commissioners |page=B1 |work=Tri-City Herald}}

During construction of the bridge on May 17, 1983, a crane collapsed and killed a foreman.{{cite news |date=May 18, 1983 |title=I-182 worker killed |page=A1 |work=Tri-City Herald}} The bridge was unofficially dedicated as the John K. Seward Memorial Bridge by other construction workers in his honor.{{cite news |date=May 20, 1984 |title=Workers dedicate bridge to colleague |page=27 |work=Walla Walla Union-Bulletin}} A memorial plaque was installed in lieu of naming the bridge for the foreman.{{cite news |last=Merriman |first=Edward |date=November 25, 1983 |title=Plaque pays tribute to foreman killed during construction |page=C6 |work=Tri-City Herald}}