Maple Street Bridge (Spokane, Washington)

Maple Street Bridge
View from northwest at Kendall Yards in 2020
Coordinates	47°39′34″N117°26′05″W / 47.65944°N 117.43472°W / 47.65944; -117.43472
Carries	Maple Street
Crosses	Spokane River and Peaceful Valley
Locale	Spokane, Washington U.S.
Other name(s)	Maple Street Toll Bridge (1958–1990)
Named for	Maple Street
Owner	City of Spokane Department of Streets
Characteristics
Design	Girder bridge
Total length	1,708 feet (521 m) [1]
Height	125 feet (38 m)
No. of lanes	4 [1] [2]
History
Construction start	1956
Construction cost	$6 million (1956) [3] ($69.4 million in 2024 [4] )
Opened	July 1, 1958;67 years ago (1958-07-01) [1] [2]
Statistics
Daily traffic	40,600 (2015)
Toll	$0.10 (1958–1981) $0.25 (1981–1990) Toll removed in 1990
Location

The Maple Street Bridge is a girder bridge in the northwest United States in Spokane, Washington. It spans West Central to Downtown, crossing over the Spokane River and the Peaceful Valley neighborhood. ^[5] Along with the Division Street Bridge and Monroe Street Bridge, the Maple Street Bridge is one of several major bridges that cross the Spokane River. ^[6]

The bridge is 1,719 feet (524 m) in length, stands 125 feet (38 m) above the river, with a deck that is fifty feet (15 m) wide. ^[5] It has two-lane traffic in both directions, ^[2] and a caged pedestrian walkway. As of 2015, the Maple Street Bridge has an average daily traffic of 40,600 vehicles. ^[6]

History

View from northeast in 2020

Construction began in 1956 and the Maple Street Bridge opened on July 1, 1958. ^{[1] [7]} The bridge cost $6 million dollars to construct, ^{[1] [8]} and required a ten-cent toll on vehicles from 1958 to 1981. ^[9] During the first three hours, over 1,600 vehicles crossed the new bridge. ^[10] The price was raised to 25 cents from 1981 to 1990, when the toll was removed. ^[7]

Accidents

During construction in December 1957, an iron worker was killed when he fell ninety feet (27 m) from a wooden platform. ^{[11] [12]}

In 2008, a teen died by accidentally falling from the Maple Street Bridge. ^[13]

See also

List of crossings of the Spokane River

References

1. "Maple Street Bridge Opened". Spokane Daily Chronicle. July 1, 1958. p. 1.
2. "Cars to roll over Maple span today". Spokesman-Review. July 1, 1958. p. 1.
3. "Maple bridge ready for opening tomorrow". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 30, 1958. p. 14.
4. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
5. "Maple Street Bridge". Bridgehunter.com.
6. Tinsley, Jesse (April 1, 2019). "Then and Now: Maple Street Bridge". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
7. "MAPLE STREET over SPOKANE RIVER Spokane County, Washington Bridge Inspection Report". Tallahassee Democrat.
8. Cherny, Nikolai. "The Maple Street Bridge". Spokane Historical.
9. Roberts, Jack (March 6, 1981). "Toll hike plan dies". Spokesman-Review. p. 16.
10. "1617 cars use new span in first 3 hours of toll". Spokesman-Review. July 2, 1958. p. 1.
11. "Bridge worker dies in fall". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 27, 1957. p. 1.
12. "90-foot fall kills Spokane iron worker". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. December 28, 1957. p. 6.
13. "Teen dies after falling from the Maple Street Bridge". KHQ. April 4, 2008.