Yale Bridge
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Yale Bridge
| nrhp_type =
| image = Yale Bridge WA1.jpg
| caption = Yale Bridge - Note osprey nests on tower
| location = Spans Lewis River on {{Jct|state=WA|WA|503}}, Yale, Washington
| coordinates = {{Coord|45|57|39|N|122|22|23|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Washington
| built = 1932
| architect = Harold H. Gilbert; Gilpin Construction Co.
| architecture = Short-span steel suspension bridge
| added = July 16, 1982
| area = Less than one acre
| mpsub = {{NRHP url|id=64000902|title=Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR}}
| refnum = 82004206{{NRISref|version=2009a}}
}}
The Yale Bridge or Lewis River Bridge spans the Lewis River near Yale, Washington. It was built in 1932 by Cowlitz and Clark counties. The suspension bridge has a clear span of {{Convert|300|ft}}, with a total length of {{Convert|532|ft}}, replacing a previous steel truss bridge at the site. Construction of the Ariel Dam had created Lake Merwin with a water depth of {{Convert|90|ft}} at the site, requiring a new bridge that did not need to have support piers in the water. The road deck, stiffened by a steel Warren truss, is {{Convert|50|ft}} above the high water line of the reservoir.{{Cite web |last=Soderberg |first=Lisa |title=Yale Bridge |url=https://fortress.wa.gov/dahp/wisaard/documents/RN/0/0/541.pdf |publisher=Historic American Engineering Record |access-date=22 March 2011 |date=August 1979}}{{Cite web |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/wa/wa0400/wa0439/data/wa0439data.pdf |title=Yale Bridge |last=Hadlow |first=Robert W. |date=August 1993 |work=Historic American Engineering Record |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=October 30, 2022}}
History
The bridge was designed by Harold H. Gilbert of the Washington State Highway Department, and was constructed by the Gilpin Construction Company of Portland, Oregon.
Structure
The only short-span steel suspension bridge in Washington,{{Cite web |title=Historic Bridges |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/environment/culres/bridges.htm |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=22 March 2011}} the bridge incorporates unique features. Only the central span is slung from the cables, with separate unloaded cables acting as backstays running from the {{Convert|88.75|ft|m|adj=on}} tall towers to concrete anchorages in the canyon's rocky sides. The approach spans were originally supported from below by a timber structure. The cables are discontinuous at the towers, unlike most suspension bridges, in which the cables run over a saddle on the towers. With less wear, the cables could be smaller. The bridge deck is made of timbers with an asphalt overlay. The counties transferred the bridge to the Washington State Department of Highways in the late 1930s and it was refitted in 1957–58 with steel approach spans. It is noted for prominent brackets supporting osprey nests.{{Cite web |last=Long |first=Priscilla |title=Clark and Cowlitz counties erect Yale Bridge across Lewis River in 1932 |url=http://www.washington.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=5417 |publisher=HistoryLink.org |access-date=22 March 2011 |date=March 14, 2003}}
Recognition
The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1982.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Yale Bridge}}
- {{HAER |survey=WA-87 |id=wa0439 |title=Yale Bridge, State Route 503 Spanning Lewis River, Yale, Cowlitz County, WA |photos=12 |data=10 |cap=1}}
- [http://www.co.clark.wa.us/planning/historic_sites/yale_bridge.html Yale Bridge] at Clark County, Washington
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Category:Bridges completed in 1932
Category:Suspension bridges in Washington (state)
Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Cowlitz County, Washington
Category:Bridges in Clark County, Washington
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Clark County, Washington
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Cowlitz County, Washington