The Mark Clark Bridge, built in 1949, carried Washington State Route 532

Washington State Route 532

State Route 532 is a short Washington state highway in Island and Snohomish counties, located in the United States. The long roadway begins at Sunrise Boulevard in Camano and travels east through Stanwood to end at...

 across the Stillaguamish River

Stillaguamish River

The Stillaguamish River is a river in northwest Washington in the United States. It is mainly composed of two forks, the longer North Fork Stillaguamish and the South Fork Stillaguamish. The two forks join near Arlington. From there the Stillaguamish River proper flows for to Puget Sound...

 to connect Stanwood, Washington

Stanwood, Washington

Stanwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,231 at the 2010 census.-History:Stanwood was first settled in 1866 by Robert Fulton. Stanwood's Post Office was established as Centerville in 1870, and the name was changed to Stanwood in 1877 by D.O. Pearson...

 to Camano Island

Camano Island

Camano Island is a large island in the Possession Sound portion of Puget Sound, located in Island County, Washington, between Whidbey Island and the mainland. The body of water separating Whidbey Island and Camano Island is called Saratoga Passage. Camano Island is separated from mainland...

. It provided the only road access to the island. The bridge was named to honor General Mark W. Clark, a decorated Army officer of World War II who earlier served at Fort Lewis

Fort Lewis

Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

 and spent much of his retirement on Camano Island. The water surrounding Camano Island is too shallow for ferry service, which made this bridge a critical link for island residents and visitors.

On August 17, 2010, the new Camano Gateway Bridge opened to traffic. As a result, the Mark Clark bridge was closed to traffic. The following month, the Mark Clark Bridge was demolished.

Camano Gateway Bridge

The Washington State Department of Transportation

Washington State Department of Transportation

The Washington State Department of Transportation , was established in 1905. The agency, led by a Secretary and overseen by the Governor, is a Washington governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of the state's transportation infrastructure...

(WSDOT) began construction of a new bridge in the summer of 2009. According to WSDOT, the new bridge will:

• Measure 56 feet (17.1 m) wide to accommodate a future four lane SR532; the bridge will be initially configured for two 12 feet (3.7 m) lanes
• Match up with a realigned portion of the existing two lane highway
• Feature eight-foot-wide shoulders to provide bicyclists and pedestrians safer access and allow space for disabled vehicles to pull out of through lanes
• Meet modern earthquake safety standards
• Continue to accommodate marine travel on the Stillaguamish River".

As mentioned above, the new bridge was dedicated as the Camano Gateway Bridge, and opened to traffic August 17, 2010.