The High Steel Bridge is a
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 bridge' design. If no horizontal thrusting forces are generated, this becomes an arch-shaped truss which is ess ...
that spans the south fork of the
Skokomish River
The Skokomish River () is a river in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is the largest river flowing into Hood Canal, a western arm of Puget Sound. From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish ...
, on National Forest Service road #2340 in
Mason County, Washington
Mason County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,726. The county seat and only incorporated city is Shelton, Wa ...
, near the city of
Shelton Shelton may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
*Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire
* Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire
* Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedf ...
.
The bridge is long, and its deck is above the river.
History
Built in 1929, the bridge originally carried a rail line whose construction made logging operations possible in new areas of the
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
.
Along with the
Vance Creek Bridge, it was one of two similar bridges built for the rail line by the Simpson Logging Company, which contracted its construction to the American Bridge Company.
At the time of the bridges' construction, new rail lines for logging were becoming increasingly cost-prohibitive, and most companies began using trucks in their place.
The expense of rail led to the bridges' unusual steel construction; while most logging bridges were temporary wooden structures, the Simpson Logging Company felt that only a permanent bridge would justify their investment.
The bridge was converted to a roadway in 1964, though it continues to be used for logging.
On July 16, 1982, the bridge was added to 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 ...
.
See also
*
List of bridges in the United States by height
This is a list of the highest bridges in the United States by height over land or water.
Definitions
''Height'' in this list refers to the distance from the bridge deck to the lowest point on the land, or the water surface, directly below. A b ...
Notes
Bridges completed in 1929
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Transportation buildings and structures in Mason County, Washington
Railroad bridges in Washington (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Mason County, Washington
Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)
Steel bridges in the United States
Truss arch bridges in the United States
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