The Beebe Bridge ( ) is a two-lane, steel through arch bridge crossing the
Columbia River at Chelan Falls, Washington. Located three miles east of
Lake Chelan
Lake Chelan ( ) is a narrow, long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. Before 1927, it was the largest natural lake in the state by any measure. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake w ...
, the bridge is part of
U.S. Route 97
U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a major north–south route of the United States Numbered Highway System in the Pacific Northwest region. It runs for approximately through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, primarily serving in ...
and averages 5000 vehicle crossings
per day.
The Beebe Bridge is long with a deck width of supporting one lane of traffic in each direction and sidewalks on either side. It is one of three "Continuous-steel through-truss tied-arch" bridges in the state.
The
Blue Bridge over the Columbia in the Tri-Cities, and the
Elmer Huntley Bridge over the
Snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
are of the same design.
Seismically retrofitted in 2000, the Beebe Bridge was considered to be in very good condition following its last structural safety inspection in 2007.
In 1959
WSDOT
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...
began construction of the current bridge, which was opened in June 1963 for a cost $1,120,000.
History
The bridge is named after The Beebe Orchard Company which built the first bridge, a reinforced concrete tower
suspension bridge,
in 1919, over the Columbia River at Chelan Falls to carry irrigation water in two 12-inch water flumes
from springs on the west side to their orchards on the east side of the river. The Beebe Bridge was the first suspension bridge in Washington State, was completed at a cost of $75,000, and was, at the time, the largest privately built and owned bridge in the world.
By 1947 the Beebe Orchard Company was the state's largest apple growing enterprise operated by a single family.
Although not originally intended for public vehicle crossing, the historic bridge's wooden-deck roadway aided in fruit transport and helped the company recoup the cost of extending the water pipeline by instituting crossing tolls.
Although the water flumes were removed in 1926, the private toll bridge remained in use until it was replaced by the current state bridge in 1963.
The state began construction of the present bridge in 1959 and had completed the piers before the reservoir behind
Rocky Reach dam
Rocky Reach Dam is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, whi ...
, also known as
Lake Entiat
Lake Entiat (also known as Rocky Reach Reservoir) is a reservoir between Chelan County and Douglas County in North Central Washington, USA, that is formed above Rocky Reach Dam (built 1962), a hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River. The reser ...
, inundated the site.
During continued construction, legal maneuvering by the orchard company brought the project to a halt for over a year.
The Beebe Orchard Company finally agreed to accept a one-time payment of $4,000 for its property and interests.
The old suspension bridge was dismantled but its concrete towers were left in place and can still be seen just downstream (south) of the new span.
August 2009 closure
On August 31, 2009 a semi-truck collision severely damaged the Beebe Bridge's steel trusses and beams forcing its closure. Traffic was detoured to
U.S. Route 97A. The bridge was repaired and reopened on October 9, 2009 at a cost of $1.5 million.
Images
File:Beebe bridge old and new crop.jpg, Historic towers to the south
File:Beebe bridge deck.jpg, Looking west, this photo was taken while standing on the deck of the Beebe Bridge over the Columbia River in late September, 2007
File: Beebe_bridge_crop.jpg, The roadway crossing the bridge
See also
*
*
*
*
List of crossings of the Columbia River
This is a list of bridges and other crossings of the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean upstream to its source.
Crossings
See also
* List of crossings of the Willamette River
* Lists of Oregon-related topics
* List of Washington-related top ...
References
External links
Beebe Bridge Closure - WSDOTWSDOT Beebe Bridge Repair Photoblog - WSDOT
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Columbia River
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Wells Dam
Wells Dam is a hydroelectric embankment dam located on the Columbia River, downstream from the confluence of the Okanogan River, Methow River, and the Columbia River in Washington state. The dam, associated structures, and machinery make up the W ...
, upstream signs =
, downstream =
Rocky Reach Dam
Rocky Reach Dam is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, whi ...
, downstream signs =
Bridges over the Columbia River
Bridges in Chelan County, Washington
Road bridges in Washington (state)
U.S. Route 97
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
Former toll bridges in Washington (state)
Bridges completed in 1963
1963 establishments in Washington (state)
Steel bridges in the United States
Tied arch bridges in the United States
Truss bridges in the United States