The Rock Island Railroad Bridge is BNSF Railway's bridge across 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 ...

, at

Rock Island, Washington Rock Island is a city in Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,279 at the 2020 census. History Rock Island was officially incorporated ...

. The structure consists of one through truss, one deck truss, and an approach trestle.

History

The bridge was originally built in 1892 for the

Great Northern Railway Great Northern Railway or Great Northern Railroad may refer to: Australia * Great Northern Railway (Queensland) in Australia * Great Northern Rail Services in Victoria, Australia *Central Australia Railway was known as the great Northern Railway ...

. Bridging the Columbia River was an important component in completing Great Northern's transcontinental link the following year. The site was chosen at

for being the shortest distance between the banks of the Columbia River in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. In 1925, it was decided to strengthen the main span in anticipation of increased traffic and heavier trains by reinforcing the structure with an additional outside truss frame. and

References

Bridges completed in 1892 Bridges in Douglas County, Washington Great Northern Railway (U.S.) bridges Railroad bridges in Washington (state) Bridges over the Columbia River BNSF Railway bridges Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Douglas County, Washington 1892 establishments in Washington (state) Trestle bridges in the United States {{Washington-bridge-struct-stub