The Interstate 182 (I-182) Bridge, officially the Lee–Volpentest Bridges, is the collective name for a pair of bridges carrying Interstate 182 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 ...

between Pasco and Richland in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. They are named after Glenn C. Lee, publisher of the ''

Tri-City Herald The ''Tri-City Herald'' is a twice-weekly newspaper based in Kennewick, Washington, United States. Owned by The McClatchy Company, the newspaper serves southeastern Washington state, including the three cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland ...

'', and Sam Volpentest, a prominent local businessman. It is one of three bridges connecting Pasco to the other members of the Tri-Cities of Washington (

Kennewick Kennewick () is a city in Benton County, Washington, Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima ...

and Richland), along with the

Cable Bridge The Cable Bridge, officially called the Ed Hendler Bridge and sometimes called the Intercity Bridge, spans the Columbia River between Pasco, Washington, Pasco and Kennewick, Washington, Kennewick in southeastern Washington (state), Washington as ...

and the Blue Bridge.

History

In 1894 the Timmerman ferry started operation at this site and continued operation until 1931. The city of Richland, which grew rapidly beginning in the 1940s due to its proximity to the

Hanford Site The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It has also been known as SiteW and the Hanford Nuclear R ...

, proposed a bridge over the Columbia River to Pasco several times in the decade following the ferry's shutdown. Most proposals in the 1960s and 1970s focused on a location north of the city at Horn Rapids Road to allow Hanford commuters to bypass the city. After Interstate 182 was approved in 1969, proposals remained for a separate, tolled crossing north of the city to be built in tandem with the interstate bridge. Preliminary work at the bridge site, including soil tests, began in early 1978. Ground was broken on the I-182 Bridge on July 8, 1981, with construction expected to be finished in late 1984 at a cost of $23.8 million. It was the first bridge in the state to be built with post-tensioned

cast-in-place concrete Cast-in-place concrete or Cast-in-situ concrete is a technology of construction of buildings where walls and slabs of the buildings are cast at the site in formwork. This differs from precast concrete technology where slabs are cast elsewhere a ...

, which progressed from each side of the river. Work was delayed by approximately 90 days due to the discovery of faulty

bridge bearing In structural engineering, a bridge bearing is a component of a bridge which typically provides a resting surface between bridge piers and the bridge deck. The purpose of a Bearing (mechanical), bearing is to allow controlled movement and thereby ...

s, which were replaced at a cost of $600,000 (of which $240,000 was paid by the state government). The final concrete pour was completed on June 26, 1984. The westbound span was dedicated and opened to two-way traffic on November 27, 1984. The eastbound span opened in early 1986. The bridge was named for ''

'' publisher Glenn C. Lee and businessman Sam Volpentest, both prominent members of the Tri-City Nuclear Industrial Council and advocates for local highway projects. Others suggested for the bridge's namesake included Pasco lobbyist George L. Cook, U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, and ''Tri-City Herald'' editor Donald Pugnetti. During construction of the bridge on May 17, 1983, a crane collapsed and killed a foreman. The bridge was unofficially dedicated as the John K. Seward Memorial Bridge by other construction workers in his honor. A memorial plaque was installed in lieu of naming the bridge for the foreman.

References

External links

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

, bridge = Interstate 182 Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Vernita Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Blue Bridge , downstream signs = Tri-Cities, Washington Bridges over the Columbia River Bridges in Benton County, Washington Bridges in Franklin County, Washington Road bridges in Washington (state) Bridges on the Interstate Highway System 1984 establishments in Washington (state) Concrete bridges in the United States U.S. Route 12

History

See also

References

External links