The Vance Creek Bridge is an
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
in the
Satsop Hills of
Mason County, Washington that was built for a
logging railroad
A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felling, felled logs to sawmills or railway stations.
In most cases th ...
owned by the
Simpson Logging Company in 1929. At in height, it is the second-highest railroad arch in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
after the nearby
High Steel Bridge.
It was decommissioned in the 1970s, during the decline of logging on the
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
.
The bridge was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1982 and to the Mason County Historic Preservation Register in 2008.
Recent popularity
The bridge gained popularity in the early 2010s as an attraction for photographers and thrill-seekers, due to its isolation and "unsafe" features, despite the bridge never having been open to the public. In 2014, the property owner Green Diamond Resource Company added barriers and surveillance to prevent further trespassing due to the emergence of graffiti and arson at the site, as well as the risk of a lawsuit.
In 2016, the approach structure's wooden deck and railroad ties were removed to further deter trespassers.
Future
Green Diamond has stated they are not interested in demolishing the bridge as doing so would be prohibitively expensive and damage the sensitive riparian environment it's built over. They also stated they're not interested in establishing a scenic railroad or any other attraction at the bridge themselves, as they wish to focus solely on their timber business.
[
In 2013, Green Diamond opened up talks with Mason County Parks and a local ]bungee jumping
Bungee jumping (), also spelled bungy jumping, is an activity that involves a person jumping from a great height while connected to a large elastic cord. The launching pad is usually erected on a tall structure such as a building or crane, a ...
company about leasing the bridge to the company. The bridge deck would be rehabilitated into a pedestrian crossing with a bungee jumping spot established mid-deck, similar to the Bridge to Nowhere
A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. There are f ...
in California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.[
]
Gallery
Image:Simpson railroad vance creek bridge.jpg, Vance Creek Bridge with a Simpson steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
hauling timber, 1940
Image:Vance Creek bridge deck.JPG, Bridge deck in 2012
Image:Vance Creek Viaduct Oct 2016.jpg, Bridge deck in 2016
See also
*List of bridges in the United States by height
This is a list of the highest bridges in the United States by height over land or water. ''Height'' in this list refers to the distance from the bridge deck to the lowest point on the land, or the water surface, directly below. A bridge's deck he ...
References
Bridges completed in 1929
Transportation buildings and structures in Mason County, Washington
Railroad bridges in Washington (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Mason County, Washington
Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States
Steel bridges in the United States
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