Fred G. Redmon Bridge

Last updated

Fred G. Redmon Bridge
Fred G Redmon Bridge 060329.jpg
March 2006
Coordinates 46°42′00″N120°26′28″W / 46.70°N 120.441°W / 46.70; -120.441 Coordinates: 46°42′00″N120°26′28″W / 46.70°N 120.441°W / 46.70; -120.441
CarriesI-82.svgUS 97.svg I-82 / US 97
CrossesSelah Creek
Locale Yakima County, Washington
Characteristics
DesignTwin arch
MaterialConcrete
Total length1,337 feet (408 m) [1]
Longest span549 feet (167 m) [1]
No. of spans2
Clearance below 325 feet (99 m) [1]
History
OpenedNovember 2, 1971 [1]
Fred G. Redmon Bridge
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Fred G. Redmon Bridge
Location in Washington

The Fred G. Redmon Bridge, also known as the Selah Creek Bridge, is a twin arch bridge in the northwest United States, in Yakima County, Washington. It carries Interstate 82 across Selah Creek near Selah, between Yakima and Ellensburg.

Contents

Construction

The bridge was opened to traffic on November 2, 1971. It was constructed by Peter Kiewit & Sons, [1] who won the contract with a bid of $4,356,070 (equivalent to about $32,026,000 in 2020). [2] [3] The bridge was part of a 2.8-mile (4.5 km) long, $1.7 million (equivalent to $12 million in 2020) [2] segment of the Interstate 82 freeway construction through the area. [4]

At the time it was built, it was the longest concrete arch bridge in the United States, [5] [6] surpassed only by the 866-foot (264 m) Sandö Bridge in Sweden. It was also the highest bridge in Washington. It won the 1971 Grand Award "for excellence in the use of concrete", awarded by the Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association. [1]

Namesake

Fred Redmon was a county commissioner [7] and the first chair of the Washington Highway Commission, formed in 1951 to oversee the state's department of highways. [8] [9] [10] It was named for him prior to its completion. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

Interstate 82 (I-82) is an Interstate Highway in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that travels through parts of Washington and Oregon. It runs 144 miles (232 km) from its northwestern terminus at I-90 in Ellensburg, Washington, to its southeastern terminus at I-84 in Hermiston, Oregon. The highway passes through Yakima and the Tri-Cities, and is also part of the link between Seattle and Boise, Idaho. I-82 travels concurrently with U.S. Route 97 (US 97) between Ellensburg and Union Gap; US 12 from Yakima to the Tri-Cities; and US 395 from Kennewick and Umatilla, Oregon.

U.S. Route 395 Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 395 is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road becomes Highway 395 upon entering British Columbia, Canada. Before 1964, the route extended south to San Diego. I-15, I-215, and California State Route 163 replaced the stretch of 395 that ran from San Diego to Hesperia through Riverside and San Bernardino. "Old Highway 395" can be seen along or near I-15 in many locations before it branches off at Hesperia to head north.

Interstate 182 (I-182) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The state highway is an Interstate route, traveling around the city of Kennewick, the largest of the three Tri-Cities in Eastern Washington. I-182 passes through the cities of Richland and Pasco, located in Benton and Franklin counties, respectively. The four-lane freeway, which is concurrent with U.S. Route 12 (US 12) for its entire 15-mile-long (24 km) length, begins at an interchange with I-82 in the Horse Heaven Hills and runs through Richland, becoming concurrent with State Route 240 (SR 240). I-182 and US 12 cross over the Columbia River into Pasco on the Interstate 182 Bridge and become concurrent with US 395 before the former designation ends abruptly.

U.S. Route 195 (US 195) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.65 miles of its 94.42 miles are within the state of Washington. The highway starts in rural Idaho north of the city of Lewiston as a state highway in an interchange with US 95. As the road crosses into Washington it becomes a state highway that connects communities in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington. US 195 travels north, serving the cities of Pullman, Colfax and Rosalia in Whitman County before continuing into Spokane County to its terminus in the city of Spokane at an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90).

Washington State Route 970 highway in Washington

State Route 970 (SR 970) is a 10.31-mile-long (16.59 km) state highway serving rural Kittitas County in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway connects Cle Elum to Blewett Pass and begins at an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90) in Cle Elum. Traveling east, SR 970 intersects SR 903 north of the interchange and SR 10 in Teanaway before ending at U.S. Route 97 (US 97) in Virden. The highway was first added to the state highway system in 1909 as part of the Snoqualmie Pass Road and State Road 7. It was later signed as the Sunset Highway in 1913 and State Road 2 in 1923 before becoming part of US 97 and US 10. State Road 2 became Primary State Highway 2 (PSH 2) in 1937 and was replaced by US 97 during the 1964 highway renumbering. US 97 was realigned onto SR 131 between Thorp and Virden in 1975 and SR 970 was created on the former route.

State Route 22 (SR 22) is a 35.84-mile (57.68 km) long state highway spanning Yakima and Benton counties in the US state of Washington. Existing since at least 1937, the highway serves to connect several small communities that have been bypassed by Interstate 82 (I-82) / U.S. Route 12 (US 12). Except for the section through Toppenish and the southeastern bypass of Prosser, the highway is lightly traveled passing mainly through rural farmland. The highway parallels a BNSF Railway line for a majority of its route, with the rail line predating the highway by at least 27 years.

State Route 24 (SR 24) is a state highway in the south-central region of Washington, in the United States. It travels 79 miles (127 km) from Yakima to Othello, across a portion of the Columbia Plateau. The highway crosses the Columbia River on the Vernita Bridge, located near the Hanford Site. SR 24 terminates to the west at an interchange with Interstate 82 (I-82) in Yakima and to the east at SR 26 in Othello.

State Route 821 (SR 821) is a state highway in central Washington state. It runs for 25 miles (40 km) through the Yakima Canyon, following the meandering Yakima River between Selah and Ellensburg. Both ends of the highway are at interchanges with Interstate 82 (I-82) and U.S. Route 97 (US 97).

Washington State Route 823 highway in Washington

State Route 823 (SR 823) is a state highway in Yakima County, Washington, United States. It runs for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) from an interchange with U.S. Route 12 (US 12) and through the city of Selah to a junction with SR 821. The highway intersects and runs in the median of Interstate 82 (I-82), its parent route.

Washington State Route 127 highway in Washington

State Route 127 (SR 127) is a 27.05-mile-long (43.53 km) state highway serving the eastern region of the U.S. state of Washington. The highway, listed on the National Highway System, begins in rural Garfield County at U.S. Route 12 (US 12) and travels north across the Snake River on the Elmer Huntley Bridge. The roadway continues into Whitman County before it ends at SR 26 in Dusty. SR 127 formed a section of the Inland Empire Highway and Primary State Highway 3 (PSH 3) prior to becoming US 295 in 1926. US 295 was decommissioned in 1968 and replaced by a longer SR 127, traveling its full length from Dodge to Colfax from its establishment in 1970 until an extension of SR 26 to Colfax in 1979.

Interstate 90 (I-90) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway that runs from Seattle, Washington, to Boston, Massachusetts. It crosses Washington state from west to east, traveling 298 miles (480 km) from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains and into Eastern Washington, reaching the Idaho state line east of Spokane. I-90 intersects several of the state's other major highways, including I-5 in Seattle, I-82 and U.S. Route 97 (US 97) near Ellensburg, and US 395 and US 2 in Spokane.

Interstate 90 (I-90) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway that runs east–west across the northern United States. Within the state of Idaho, the freeway travels for 74 miles (119 km) from the Washington border near Spokane to Coeur d'Alene and the panhandle region at the north end of the state. After traveling through the Silver Valley along the Coeur d'Alene River in the Bitterroot Range, I-90 crosses into Montana at Lookout Pass.

North Spokane Corridor Highway in the U.S. state of Washington

The U.S. Route 395 North Spokane Corridor (NSC) is a 10.5-mile-long (16.9 km) freeway - with 5.42 miles (8.72 km) complete and currently operational – running north–south along the eastern border of Spokane, Washington and parts of unincorporated Spokane County to the north.

U.S. Route 395 in Washington Highway in Washington

U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from California to the inland regions of Oregon and Washington. It travels north–south through Washington, including long concurrencies with Interstate 82 (I-82) and I-90, and connects the Tri-Cities region to Spokane and the Canadian border at Laurier.

U.S. Route 97 in the U.S. state of Washington is a 322-mile (518 km) route which traverses from the Oregon state line at the northern end of the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge in Maryhill, north to the Canada–US border in Okanogan County near Oroville. The highway serves major cities such as Goldendale, Yakima, Ellensburg and Wenatchee before continuing towards the Alaska Highway at the Yukon border as British Columbia Highway 97. Along the length of the roadway, US 97 is concurrent with State Route 14 in Maryhill, Interstate 82 (I-82) and US 12 between Union Gap and Ellensburg, I-90 briefly in Ellensburg, US 2 between Peshastin and rural Douglas County and SR 20 near Omak. An alternate route connects the highway with Chelan.

Washington State Route 223 highway in Washington

State Route 223 (SR 223) is a 3.81-mile (6.13 km) long state highway located entirely in Yakima County, Washington, United States. It has served the role of connecting the city of Granger to the county seat, Yakima via Interstate 82 and to SR 22 since its establishment in 1967, serving between 4,000 and 8,500 cars per day on average in 2009.

Washington State Route 225 highway in Washington

State Route 225 (SR 225) is an 11.32-mile (18.22 km) long two-lane state highway located entirely in Benton County, Washington, United States. The highway travels over the Benton City – Kiona Bridge, which is listed on the Washington Heritage Register and National Register of Historic Places, over the Yakima River. After turning through Benton City, the highway parallels the river for the remainder of the route. Several different proposals have been introduced to alleviate traffic flow issues at the SR 224 / SR 225 interchange, which was ultimately replaced with a roundabout in 2016.

Emlenton Bridge bridge in United States of America

The Emlenton Bridge is a steel-deck truss bridge that spans the Allegheny River just south of the town of Emlenton, Pennsylvania, United States at approximately mile marker 44.4 on I-80. With a height of 270 feet (82 m) above the river, the Emlenton Bridge was the highest bridge in the Interstate Highway System when completed in 1968. This record was held until 1971 with the opening of the Fred G. Redmon Bridge near Selah, Washington.

Benton City – Kiona Bridge bridge in United States of America

The Benton City – Kiona Bridge is a steel box girder and cable-stayed bridge carrying two lanes of Washington State Route 225 over the Yakima River in Benton City, Benton County, Washington. The current span was opened to traffic on July 4, 1957 and measures 400-foot-long (121.9 m) by 26-foot (7.8 m) wide. Two bridges had previously connected the cities of Benton City and Kiona before and were located 300 feet (91 m) downstream. The first bridge was open by 1901, and the immediate predecessor bridge was closed and torn down in 1964. The bridge is owned and maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation, and was added to the Washington Heritage Register on January 25, 2002.

Selah Gap is a water gap carved by the Yakima River through the Yakima Ridge basalt formation between Yakima, Washington and Selah, Washington. The gap is traversed by BNSF Railway, Interstate 82, and Washington State Route 823. The Yakima Greenway trail for non motorized users also crosses the Yakima River at Selah Gap on an 1884 railroad bridge. The William O. Douglas Trail, named for William O. Douglas who hiked there from his home in Yakima, also crosses the gap and ascends the ridge on its way to Mount Rainier.

References

  1. 1 2 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. "Selah Creek Bridge". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. September 28, 1968. p. 5.
  3. "Costly freeway job underway". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. July 7, 1969. p. 6.
  4. "I-82 to open six months early". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. August 8, 1970. p. 1.
  5. "Longest span dedicated". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. AP photo. November 13, 1971. p. 9.
  6. "County heads seeking funds". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 21, 1946. p. 9.
  7. WSDOT. "WSDOT History (1941–1960)". Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
  8. "Redmon elected head of highway commission". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. Associated Press. July 9, 1951. p. 4.
  9. "State highway chief to stay on". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. March 17, 1954. p. 6.
  10. "I-82 construction on its schedule". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. September 16, 1970. p. 1.