The Beverly Railroad Bridge is a historic railroad bridge that now carries hikers, bicyclists, and pedestrians over the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

near

Beverly, Washington Beverly, Washington, United States, is a small unincorporated community along the banks of the Columbia River in central Washington state. The community, which consists of a few hundred residents, is a few miles downriver from Wanapum Dam and i ...

, United States. It was constructed by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (otherwise known as The Milwaukee Road) in 1909 during its Pacific Extension. In 1906, The Milwaukee Road began construction on its transcontinental rail line from

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, which was completed three years later. The bridge was built on concrete piers above the Columbia River to provide clearance for any river traffic. The spans include 14

Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...

deck trusses, one Parker through truss, and deck plate girders on the approaches. When the railroad electrified in the 1920s, supports for the

catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary ( , ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or wire rope, cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, ...

were added to the bridge. When the railroad ceased using electric locomotives in 1972, the

was removed, but the supports were kept in place. After the railroad went bankrupt in the mid-1970s and abandoned its lines in the Pacific Northwest in 1980, the bridge and adjoining right-of-way were taken over by the State of Washington in lieu of back taxes owed by the railroad. The bridge was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982 because of its association with The Milwaukee Road. The bridge is on the route of the

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and the Iron Horse Trail, is a rail trail that spans most of the U.S. state of Washington. It follows the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee ...

, which follows the Milwaukee Road right-of-way across Washington. The bridge was extensively renovated, and re-opened for trail use in April 2022. One construction worker died during the rehabilitation project from a fall.

Notes

References

*Soderberg, Lisa. ''Beverly Railroad Bridge''. HAER Inventory,

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). It administers three programs established to document historic places in the United States: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American E ...

. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1979. *Soderberg, Lisa. '. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. On file at the National Park Service, Washington DC.

External links

* {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Beverly Railroad Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Wanapum Dam , upstream signs = , downstream = Priest Rapids Dam , downstream signs = Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Bridges completed in 1909 Former railway bridges in the United States Railroad bridges in Washington (state) Bridges over the Columbia River Bridges in Grant County, Washington Transportation buildings and structures in Kittitas County, Washington Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Kittitas County, Washington National Register of Historic Places in Grant County, Washington 1909 establishments in Washington (state) Steel bridges in the United States Warren truss bridges in the United States Parker truss bridges in the United States