Dungeness River Bridge

The Dungeness River Bridge is the centerpiece of Railroad Bridge Park near the town of Sequim, Washington. It crosses the Dungeness River. The bridge was first constructed by the Seattle, Port Angeles, and Western Railway, a subsidiary of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the Milwaukee Road) in 1916. Because of the ready availability of timber, the bridge was built of wood. This first bridge was replaced in 1930. The new bridge was also built of timber, and like its predecessor, is a through Howe truss 156 feet long and 22 feet high. Two wooden trestles are on the east and west approaches.[1]

Dungeness River Bridge
Coordinates	48°05′07″N 123°08′53″W
Carries	Pedestrians
Crosses	Dungeness River
Locale	Sequim, Washington
Heritage status	NRHP
Characteristics
Design	Howe through truss
Material	Timber
History
Construction end	1930
Dungeness River Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Railroad Bridge Park, at end of West Hendrickson Road
Nearest city	Sequim, Washington
Coordinates	48°05′07″N 123°08′52″W
Built	1930
Architect	Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Architectural style	timber Howe through truss
MPS	Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR
NRHP reference No.	82004201
Added to NRHP	July 16, 1982

After the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy, the bridge was left abandoned. In 1992, volunteers began to work on the bridge and replace planking and created a bike trail. In 1995, the property surrounding the bridge was purchased by the Washington State Audubon Society, which then created the Dungeness River Center and a park, called Railroad Bridge Park. The bike path through the park and over the bridge is connected to the Olympic Discovery Trail, a rails-to-trails initiative.

The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places due to its being one of the last timber Howe through-truss railroad bridges still remaining in Washington.

In February 2015, due to high winds and rainfall, the Bridge's center collapsed. The repaired and improved bridge was reopened in March 2016.[2]

References

Notes

1. "Nomination Form for Dungeness River Bridge". National Park Service.
2. "Major trail link is back on line". Sequim Gazette. Sequim Gazette. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

Bibliography

• Soderberg, Lisa. Dungeness River Bridge. OAHP Inventory, Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Olympia Washington. 1979. On file at the National Park Service, Washington, DC.
• Soderberg, Lisa. Historic Bridges and Tunnels in Washington State Thematic Resources. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. On file at the National Park Service, Washington DC.

External links

Media related to Dungeness River Bridge at Wikimedia Commons

• Dungeness River Center