Rock Island Railroad Bridge (Columbia River) Explained

Bridge Name:	Rock Island Railroad Bridge
Carries:	1 railroad track
Crosses:	Columbia River
Locale:	Rock Island, WA
Maint:	BNSF Railway
Design:	Truss bridge
Mainspan:	416.5feet
Length:	875feet
Open:	1892
Traffic:	freight
Extra:	Rock Island Railroad Bridge Embed: yes Location: Spans Columbia River about 0.7mile southwest of Rock Island Nearest City: Rock Island, Washington Coordinates: 47.367°N -120.1538°W Built: 1892 Architect: Edge Moor Bridge Works Architecture: fixed span through truss br. Added: July 30, 1975 Area: 1acres Refnum: 75001842

The Rock Island Railroad Bridge is BNSF Railway's bridge across the Columbia River, at Rock Island, Washington. 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. Bridging the Columbia River was an important component in completing Great Northern's transcontinental link the following year. The site was chosen at Rock Island, Washington for being the shortest distance between the banks of the Columbia River in Washington state. 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.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=75001842}} Nomination Form for Rock Island Railroad Bridge]. National Park Service. and