| Richard Odabashian Bridge | |
| Coordinates: | 47.4711°N -120.3169°W |
| Crosses: | Columbia River |
| Locale: | Wenatchee, Washington, US |
| Other Name: | Olds Station Bridge |
| Owner: | Washington State Department of Transportation |
| Maint: | Washington State Department of Transportation |
| Id: | 0009102A0000000 |
| Id Type: | National Bridge Inventory |
| Design: | Box girder bridge |
| Material: | Concrete |
| Length: | 1400feet[1] |
| Width: | 80feet[2] |
| Number Spans: | 3 |
| Begin: | 1971 |
| Open: | September 5, 1975 |
The Richard Odabashian Bridge, formerly the Olds Station Bridge, is a box girder bridge crossing the Columbia River in Wenatchee, Washington, United States. It carries four lanes of U.S. Route 2 (US 2) and US 97, as well as a bicycle and pedestrian pathway that is part of the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. The 1400feet bridge opened in 1975 and is located north of downtown Wenatchee at Olds Station.
A bridge crossing the Columbia River in Sunnyslope north of Wenatchee had been proposed since the 1960s to bypass a section of US 2 through downtown Wenatchee that crossed the Columbia River on the Senator George Sellar Bridge.[3] Early proposals favored a bridge at either Walla Walla Point in northern Wenatchee or Olds Station on the north side of the Wenatchee River; the latter option won out. Construction began in 1971 and was completed in 1975, including a narrow bicycle/pedestrian trail and two highway lanes, which were later expanded to four. The bridge was dedicated by 300 people, including local mayors and state highway officials, on September 5, 1975.[4] US 2 was re-routed onto the bridge and the old alignment later became State Route 285.
The bridge was renamed in May 1991 for Richard Odabashian, a state transportation commissioner from Cashmere.[3] The pedestrian trail on the bridge was originally 5feet wide until it was expanded to 10feet in 2001, to eliminate a major bottleneck on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail and allow bicycles to pass.[5]