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The Manette Bridge was a steel truss bridge that spanned the Port Washington Narrows in Bremerton, Washington, USA. It connected the community of Manette, Washington to downtown Bremerton. Although it is not part of a numbered
state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
, it is one of four bridges specifically designated by state law to be maintained by the
Washington Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...
. The bridge was above the water, and had a horizontal clearance of between the piers.


Ferry crossing

Before the bridge was opened in 1930 the trip was made by ferry. Between 1916 and 1930, the Mosquito Fleet
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
''Pioneer'' serviced the crossing between Bremerton and Manette for most of the time. Sometimes the ''Urania'', a passenger-only
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
, filled in. Missing the last
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
meant a long trip around Dyes Inlet through
Chico Chico () means ''small'', ''boy'' or ''child'' in the Spanish language. It is also the nickname for Francisco in the Portuguese language (). Chico may refer to: Places *Chico, California, a city *Chico, Montana, an unincorporated community *Chic ...
, Silverdale and
Tracyton Tracyton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. Its population was 5,233 at the 2010 census. It was named for 19th century Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy. Geography Tracyton is located in centra ...
on mostly unimproved roads.


Bridge history

The bridge was built as the ''Bremerton-Manette Bridge'', a toll bridge constructed by the East Bremerton Improvement Club to assist families in commuting from the eastside of Bremerton, Washington to the westside. Locals went door to door selling stock, raising approximately $200,000 for the bridge. Construction on the bridge began October 1929, by the ''Union Bridge Company'' of Portland, Oregon. The bridge was long, high, and 2 lanes. The bridge opened on June 21, 1930, amid much celebration. Among those present was Jane Garrison, the 106-year-old granddaughter of Chief Seattle. Originally the bridge was a toll bridge, with tolls of 25 cents per car, and 5 cents per pedestrian. The Washington Toll Bridge Authority purchased the bridge in 1937. The tolls generated on the bridge enabled the Washington Toll Bridge Authority to recover the purchase price within a year and a half. The toll was lifted January 28, 1939. The last person to pay a toll on the bridge was J.C Bartholet, at 3:59 pm that day. At 5:30 pm, State Senator
Lulu Haddon Lulu Haddon (; May 10, 1881 – June 20, 1964) was an American politician in the state of Washington. She was involved in civic activities in Bremerton, serving on the Bremerton School Board and as president of the local chapter of the League of ...
(D-Bremerton) cut a symbolic ribbon, opening the bridge to toll-free traffic.. The bridge remained toll-free until the nearby Warren Avenue Bridge opened as a toll bridge. Since traffic would use the toll-free Manette Bridge instead, tolls were reinstated from November 25, 1958 to October 24, 1972. In 1949, the timber approaches were replaced with concrete and
steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
components. The entire timber roadway deck was replaced around the same time. The main span thru truss and deck trusses are from the original 1930s bridge. A wider bridge across the Port Washington Narrows, the Warren Avenue Bridge, was opened in 1958 as an alternative to the Manette Bridge. The Manette Bridge, which was first built in 1930, was listed as ''structurally deficient and functionally obsolete''. In early 2010, construction began on a replacement bridge. The new Manette Bridge opened on November 10, 2011.Manette Bridge deemed Functionally Obsolete & to be replaced starting 2010. WSDOT website
retrieved August 2, 2007


References

https://web.archive.org/web/20120405121115/http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jun/20/manette-bridge-timeline/ *Jensen, Erv (1988). ''Manette Pioneering.'' Manette History Club, pp. 5, 11–14. 88-060804.


External links


Article on HistoryLink
{{Authority control Bridges completed in 1930 Bridges completed in 1949 Bremerton, Washington Transportation buildings and structures in Kitsap County, Washington State highways in Washington (state) Road bridges in Washington (state) Former toll bridges in Washington (state) Steel bridges in the United States 1930 establishments in Washington (state)