The Senator George Sellar Bridge at

Wenatchee, Washington Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and most populous city of Chelan County, Washington, Chelan County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and has increased to 35,508 as of 2020. ...

was built in 1950 as the "Columbia River Bridge" to carry

U.S. Route 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected ...

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 ...

. The steel suspended tied-

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

bridge has a main span of with anchor arms. The suspended portion of roadway comprises and is wide, carrying five lanes (originally four) with a median divider strip at a height of above mean water level. The new bridge was recognized by the

American Institute of Steel Construction The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association for the use of structural steel in the construction industry of the United States. AISC publishes the Steel Construction Manual, a ...

as the most beautiful bridge of 1950 for spans over in length. The bridge's engineer was R. W. Finke. The contractor was the General Construction Company of Seattle, using steel fabricated by the

American Bridge Company The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsb ...

. The bridge rests on two concrete piers in the river, with the central arch between them, and cantilever spans extending to concrete abutments high on the riverbanks. The bridge was renamed in 2000 after George L. Sellar, a Washington state senator who died that year. Since then, the name " Columbia River Bridge" refers to the older bridge (built in 1908) nearby. Senator George Sellar Bridge carries Washington State Route 285 since the construction of the Richard Odabashian Bridge for Route 2 farther north. An additional lane was added in 2009–2010. The bridge was placed on 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 ...

on May 24, 1995. and

References

External links

Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Through arch bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1950 Bridges in Chelan County, Washington Bridges in Douglas County, Washington Bridges over the Columbia River U.S. Route 2 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System National Register of Historic Places in Chelan County, Washington National Register of Historic Places in Douglas County, Washington 1950 establishments in Washington (state) Steel bridges in the United States {{Washington-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links