The Fairfax Bridge is a steel-lattice three-hinged arch

Truss arch bridge

A truss arch bridge combines the elements of the truss bridge and the arch bridge. The actual resolution of forces will depend upon the design. If no horizontal thrusting forces are generated this becomes an arch-shaped truss, essentially a bent beam — see moon bridge for an example...

 bridge spanning the Carbon River

Carbon River

The Carbon River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 30 miles from its source, the Carbon Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Orting....

 on State Route 165

Washington State Route 165

State Route 165 is a numbered state highway in Washington, United States. Its northern terminus is at State Route 410 in Buckley. Its southern terminus is at the Mount Rainier National Park boundary near Mowich Lake.-Route description:...

 in Pierce County, Washington

Pierce County, Washington

right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...

. Previous to the construction of the bridge in 1921, the only route south to the area around Fairfax was by train. At a total cost of $80,000, the bridge's deck sits 250 feet (76 m) above the river, which made it the tallest structure in Washington at the time it was built.

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

in 1982.

Sources

• Holstine, Craig; Hobbs, Richard (2005). Spanning Washington: Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State, Washington State University Press, ISBN 0874222818.