McMillin Bridge
Encyclopedia
The McMillin Bridge is a concrete half-through truss bridge crossing the Puyallup River
, in Pierce County, Washington
, built in 1934. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 162
. The main span of the bridge is 170 feet (52 m) long, which was the longest beam span
or concrete truss in the US when it was built. The bridge design uses a hollow-box system, which was suggested to the design company of W. H. Witt Company by Homer M. Hadley. The bridge was then built by Dolph Jones. The bridge was built to replace a steel span that had been washed out by the flooding river in 1933. Because of economic conditions
the concrete design was chosen over a steel design, with a savings of $826, in addition to lower maintenance costs. The bridge is unusual in that it combines concrete with the half-through truss design, which was usually built with steel.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Puyallup River
The Puyallup River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Rainier. It flows generally northwest, emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound...
, 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...
, built in 1934. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 162
Washington State Route 162
State Route 162 is a long state highway located entirely in Pierce County, Washington, United States.- Route description :...
. The main span of the bridge is 170 feet (52 m) long, which was the longest beam span
Span (architecture)
Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...
or concrete truss in the US when it was built. The bridge design uses a hollow-box system, which was suggested to the design company of W. H. Witt Company by Homer M. Hadley. The bridge was then built by Dolph Jones. The bridge was built to replace a steel span that had been washed out by the flooding river in 1933. Because of economic conditions
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
the concrete design was chosen over a steel design, with a savings of $826, in addition to lower maintenance costs. The bridge is unusual in that it combines concrete with the half-through truss design, which was usually built with steel.
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.