Public Works

Historic Bridges

Chelan County has one bridge on the National Register of Historic Places and five bridges that are eligible for the national register. Most of the bridges are more than 100 years old. Several are rare finds in the state these days. And two were moved to their current locations from other parts of the county. All are open for a self-guided tour of Chelan County's historic bridges.

To view the location of the bridges, visit our online map below. Learn more about the bridges by visiting the provided links to historical property reports compiled by the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Cultural Resources Program.

 

West Monitor Bridge in Monitor

The West Monitor Bridge was posted to the National Register of Historic Places in July 1982 (reference No. NRHP 82004197). Originally called the Chapman Bridge, the bridge was constructed after a petition of 130 people requested that a “wagon bridge” be built across the Wenatchee River to connect Warners Flat with Browns Flat. The concerned citizens agreed in 1906 to donate $1,000 toward the bridge’s construction.

Spanning 320 feet, the bridge was built in 1907 by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company. The bid was awarded at a cost of $6,194, with an additional $1,250 added to the contract to raise the proposed bridge an additional 6 feet, “owing to the extreme floods of 1906,” according to county records.

In service for more than 100 years, the bridge is largely intact. The truss bridge is the most common bridge constructed in Washington between 1880 and 1940; its design once predominated the landscape. The county completed a major rehabilitation of the bridge in 2011, including installing a new wood-plank deck; repainting the bridge; replacing pins, bearings, railings and floor beams; adding steel members and repairing the existing piers. Despite this, the West Monitor Bridge is considered the least altered pin-connected Pratt Truss bridge in Washington. Today, the bridge, located on Old Monitor Road, is open to one lane with weight restrictions.

 

Monitor Bridge in Monitor

The current Monitor Bridge is the third bridge to be built in its location, connecting Highway 2 to the small town of Monitor. The first, built by “railway people,” was destroyed in the floods of 1906. A 160-foot steel truss span later was built to replace it.

The current bridge, spanning 357 feet, was built in 1931 by contractor Henry Hagman for a cost of $70,004.97. Two years earlier, Hagman also constructed the West Cashmere Bridge, which will be replaced in 2021. The Monitor Bridge is a three-span, re-enforced concrete open spandrel arch bridge. It was designed by local engineer A.M. Buell.

 

Old Griffith Bridge near Ardenvoir

One of two “Luten Arches” in Chelan County, the Old Griffith Bridge was built in 1921 to cross the Entiat River. The re-enforced concrete bridge has earth-filled arches that were designed by the nationally famous bridge engineer Daniel B. Luten of Indianapolis. Look for the steel plaque on the structure’s north end that shows it was built by the Union Bridge Company. At 124 feet long, this Luten Arch bridge is slightly longer than its counterpart in Peshastin, the Peshastin Creek-Saunders Bridge. The bridge cost $12,700 to build, according to county records.

 

Old Roaring Creek Bridge near Entiat

Likely built between 1908 and 1911, the Old Roaring Creek Bridge has been open to only pedestrians since the 1980s. The 250-foot long bridge with timber footings crosses the Entiat River from Entiat River Road, about 7 miles north of the town of Entiat. The bridge is a pin-connected Pennsylvania Petit through truss design. While several bridges of this type exist on Washington state highways, the Old Roaring Creek Bridge is perhaps the oldest intact example in the state, according to WSDOT.

County records indicate the bridge was moved from the Lake Wenatchee area in 1949, replacing the original bridge that was destroyed in a 1948 flood. The bridge originally cost $39,265.59.

 

Peshastin Creek-Saunders Bridge in Peshastin

The Peshastin Creek-Saunders Bridge is one of two confirmed “Luten Arches” in Chelan County, both built in the early 1920s by the Union Bridge Company. The other is the Old Griffith Bridge near Entiat. The re-enforced concrete bridge has earth-filled arches designed by the nationally famous bridge engineer Daniel B. Luten of Indianapolis. Few patented Luten Arches remain on Washington roads. County records show the 110-foot bridge originally cost $21,970 to build. The bridge crosses Peshastin Creek about 1.5 miles southeast of Peshastin.

 

Plain Pedestrian Bridge in Plain

County records show the Plain Pedestrian Bridge, built in 1909, originally was located on the Chelan River at the mouth of Lake Chelan. It was later moved in 1928 to its present location over the Wenatchee River. It’s unclear why the bridge was moved to Plain. With a wood-plank deck, the 324-foot bridge was closed to vehicles in 1996 and today is open only to pedestrians. The bridge is a rare surviving example of a dual span, pin-connected Pratt through truss built in the early 20th century.

 

Posted: 12/16/2019 08:39 AM
Last Updated: 09/09/2020 08:53 AM

Chelan County Calendar

Upcoming events and schedules at the county!

  • 08
    Jan 2025
    01:00 PM - 02:00 PM

    Hearing Examiner - January 8, 2025

    Posted by: Community Development

    By Zoom Video Conference or in person at 400 Douglas St.
  • 18
    Dec 2024
    06:00 PM - 09:00 PM

    Planning Commission - December 18, 2024

    Posted by: Community Development

    400 Douglas Street
  • 18
    Dec 2024
    01:00 PM - 03:00 PM

    Hearing Examiner - December 18, 2024

    Posted by: Community Development

    By Zoom Video Conference or in person
  • 11
    Dec 2024
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Chelan County Civil Service Commission

    Posted by: Human Resources

    The Chelan County Civil Service Commission will be meeting on December 11, 2024.

    Chelan County Commissioners Office, CM Conference Room 1