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Curlew Bridge
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Curlew Bridge after rehabilitation
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| Location: | Curlew, Washington |
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| Area: | Transportation Engineering |
| Built: | 1908 |
| Architect: | William Oliver |
| Architectural style: | Parker Truss |
| Governing body: | Local Government |
| MPS: | Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington TR |
| NRHP Reference#: | 82004210 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | 7/16/1982 |
The Curlew Bridge is a one lane pin-connected Parker Truss bridge located in Curlew, Washington which spans the Kettle River just downstream from the point where the river turns north.
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This is the second bridge to span the Kettle River at this spot. Originally used for a ferry crossing by the native tribes of the area, a cable ferry was built in 1897 and washed away in the floods of 1898. To replace the ferry a "Corduroy" bridge constructed from logs was erected in 1901. When the log bridge was destroyed by flooding bids were taken to replace the bridge in 1907, and the contract awarded to William Oliver for $7,975 and construction was completed in 1908. This was the 165 bridge built by William Oliver.[2]
General maintenance over the years involved painting of the bridge in 1935 and complete replacement of the wooden bridge deck several times. A general maintenance inspection in June 2004 revealed that several of the pins in the bridge were showing extreme wear and the bridge was closed to all but foot-traffic. Several options for replacement of the bridge were discussed, but discarded due to the poor reception by the community. Removal of the bridge was also considered and discarded due to by overwhelming community sentiment for saving the bridge. The county applied for funds to rehabilitate the bridge in August 2004 and received funds in September 2004. Bids for the rehabilitation were taken and the job awarded to Wesslen Construction for $1,446,567. Work began in June 2006 with the bridge being entirely dismantled and transported to Spokane. Each part was inspected and repaired or replaced, including sandblasting all the parts and the replacement of the wooden stringers underneath the bridge to increase the load capacity. The parts were then transported back to Curlew on 3 semi-trailers and reassembled. The bridge was officially reopened on February 14, 2007.[2]
List of Registered Historic Places in Washington
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