List of Washington state bridge failures

Washington is a state with many bodies of water to cross, including Puget Sound, Hood Canal, the Columbia River and numerous smaller rivers and creeks. It has experienced a number of bridge failures before and after the well known Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse in 1940.

Causes

The single greatest cause of failure in Washington has been flooding, frequently associated with severe storms, which then results in destructive bridge scour.[1][2][3] According to University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass, Western Washington is "particularly vulnerable to such bridge losses, with long floating bridges and the powerful winds associated with our terrain and incoming Pacific cyclones."[3]

Causes of failure, 1923–1998[lower-alpha 1]
Cause Number of failures
Flood42
Fire8
Volcanic mud and debris5
Collision4
Storm3
Overload3
Tsunami2
Wind1
Unknown2

List of bridge failures
Bridge failures 1905–2014[lower-alpha 2]
Bridge name Year built Date of destruction Feature Crossed Notes
I-5 Skagit River Bridge1955May 23, 2013Skagit RiverCause: Collision—Truck struck arch with fracture critical design, causing structural failure[5]
Dry Creek BridgeUnknownAugust 21, 2009Dry Creek
Omak Bridge19111911Okanogan RiverSteel swing bridge collapsed when first tested[6][7]
Fourth Avenue Bridge (Olympia)1919April 18, 2001Budd Inlet (Puget Sound)Cause: Earthquake—2001 Nisqually earthquake[8][9]
Nolan Creek Bridge1931December 15, 1999Nolan Creek
Carbon River Bridge1921March 4, 1998Carbon RiverCause: Fire—Wooden deck and wooden approach arch burned following vehicle collision[lower-alpha 3]
Naches River Bridge1938February 9, 1996Naches River
Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge1940November 25, 1990Lake WashingtonCause: Storm—Severe windstorm and human error caused flooding of pontoons
Carbon River Bridge1971November 24, 1990Carbon River
Nooksack River - Nugents Bridge1946November 10, 1989Nooksack River
Skokomish River Bridge1927October 4, 1984Skokomish River
North Fork Toutle River-Coalbanks1972May 18, 1980N. Fork Toutle RiverCause: Flood—Mud and debris following 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens[lower-alpha 4]
Alder Creek Bridge1954May 18, 1980Alder Creek
St. Helens Bridge1949May 18, 1980Toutle River
Coldwater Creek Bridge1933May 18, 1980Coldwater Creek
North Fork Toutle River Bridge1938May 18, 1980N. Fork Toutle River
Russell Barker Memorial Bridge1925December 14, 1979Bogachiel River
Teanaway River Bridge1922November 28, 1979Teanaway River Bridge
Little Naches River Bridge1928August 20, 1979Little Naches River
Hood Canal Bridge1961February 13, 1979Hood CanalCause: Storm—February 13, 1979 windstorm
Johnson Creek Bridge19October 1, 1978Johnson Creek
Goat Creek Bridge1922December 3, 1977Goat Creek
Bear Canyon1936December 2, 1977Bear Creek
CreekUnknownDecember 2, 1977Creek
Satus Creek Bridge1959January 19, 1974Satus CreekCause: Flood—Floodwaters from January 17 event broke through ice jam on January 19. U.S. Highway 97 and many county roads cut; White Swan unreachable by road; entire county declared Federal disaster area.[14]
Satus Creek Third Crossing1942January 19, 1974Satus Creek
Satus Creek Fourth Crossing1942January 19, 1974Satus Creek
Satus Creek First Crossing1942January 19, 1974Satus Creek
Klickitat River Bridge1954January 19, 1974Klickitat River
Coal Creek Bridge1945February 4, 1971Coal Creek
Dry Creek BridgeUnknownJanuary 1, 1971Dry Creek
Columbia River Bridge, Brewster1927August 5, 1968Columbia RiverCause: Fire—Welding torch ignited wood deck, heat weakened steel, causing structural failure[10]
Cowlitz River - NesikaUnknownNovember 1, 1967Cowlitz River
Lake Creek1950November 15, 1966Lake Creek
Scatter Creek Bridge1932January 29, 1965Scatter Creek
Smith Creek BridgeUnknownJune 1, 1964Smith Creek
Copalis River Bridge1952March 27, 1964Copalis River
Joe Creek Bridge1953March 27, 1964Joe Creek
Chow Chow Bridge19521964, 1973, 1988Quinault RiverCollapsed three times. Timbers made into cedar shakes for tribal center in Taholah after 1988 collapse.[15] Was an early cable-stayed bridge design on the Quinault Indian Reservation near Taholah, one of the first cable-stayed bridges in the U.S.[16]
Rocky Creek Bridge1947November 19, 1962Rocky Creek
Gallup Creek Bridge1956November 19, 1962Gallup Creek
Peshastin Creek1923November 20, 1959Peshastin Creek
Salmon Creek Bridge1927January 5, 1956Salmon CreekCause: Bridge scour—Floating tree lodged under pier. Bridge collapsed 13 days after U.S. Highway 99 was opened.[2]
South Prarrie Creek Bridge1941December 11, 1955South Prarrie Creek
Snake River at Burbank1920September 9, 1949Snake River
Salmon Creek Bridge1927February 23, 1949Salmon Creek
Robinson Creek Br.UnknownJune 14, 1948Robinson CreekCause: Flooding[lower-alpha 5]
Lost River BridgeUnknownJune 14, 1948Lost River
Methow River Bridge1918June 14, 1948Methow River
Little Boulder Creek BridgeUnknownJune 14, 1948Little Boulder Creek
Chewuck River BridgeUnknownJune 14, 1948Chewuck River
Methow River at Winthrop1933June 14, 1948Methow River
Methow River Bridge at Twisp1931June 14, 1948Methow River
Methow River Bridge1939June 14, 1948Methow River
Methow River Bridge1939June 14, 1948Methow River
Methow River Bridge1933June 14, 1948Methow River
Pine Creek Bridge1918June 1, 1948Pine Creek
Cle Elum River Bridge1929May 31, 1948Cle Elum River
Centralia Power Canal Bridge1936September 24, 1947Centralia Power Canal
Hoko River BridgeUnknownApril 22, 1947Hoko RiverCause: Overloading—20-ton fully loaded logging truck attempted to cross 5-ton rated bridge.[18]
Washougal River Bridge1926February 6, 1947Washougal RiverCause: Fire—Fuel tanker truck collision weakened steel, followed by structural failure[10]
Mashel River Bridge1916December 11, 1946Mashel River
St. Helens BridgeUnknownDecember 11, 1946Toutle River
Rocky Creek Bridge1929October 25, 1945Rocky Creek
Gallup Creek BridgeUnknownOctober 25, 1945Gallup Creek
Cora Bridge1925November 12, 1943Cowlitz River
Razorhone Creek (Lower)UnknownJune 26, 1943Razorhone Creek
Razorhone Creek (Upper)UnknownJune 26, 1943Razorhone Creek
Adna Bridge1932May 1, 1943Chehalis River
Lindberg Over Crossing1933March 2, 1943C.M.St.R.&P. Rail Road.
Long Lake Bridge1911September 26, 1942Spokane RiverCause: Vibration—Sheep herd crossing bridge[19]
Tacoma Narrows Bridge1940November 7, 1940Tacoma Narrows (Puget Sound)Cause: Wind/Design flaw—Aeroelastic fluttering (wind dynamics) leading to structural failure
Detillion BridgeUnknownMay 24, 1939Spokane RiverCause: Collision—Tractor-trailer collision on deck[20]
Allen Street Bridge
also called Kelso-Longview Bridge		1906January 3, 1923Cowlitz RiverCause: Some combination of storm, collision, overloading. Deadliest Washington bridge disaster with at least 17 deaths.[21]
Wenatchee Avenue Bridgec. 1894July 4, 1917Wenatchee RiverCause: Fire—Independence Day celebratory fireworks burned wooden deck[lower-alpha 6]
Division Street Bridge1892December 18, 1915Spokane RiverCause: Collision or metal fatigue[lower-alpha 7]
Fourth Avenue Bridge (Olympia)1905March 15, 1915Budd Inlet (Puget Sound)Cause: Collapse of drawbridge following sinking of piers[23]
Columbia River Bridge, Brewster1927May 2, 1905Columbia River
Snoqualmie River Bridge1931April 17, 1905Snoqualmie River

Notes
  1. Failures from Holstine and Hobbs analysis of 1923–1998 WSDOT data; excludes demolition, removal, replacement[1]
  2. Bridge failure data from WSDOT 1905–2009 list[4] unless noted.
  3. Deck rebuilt over existing steel arch[10]
  4. Some sources say a total of 27 bridges had to be replaced[11][12][13]
  5. Holstine and Hobbs say 7 bridges lost, this apparently does not count losses on minor tributaries of the Methow.[17]
  6. Rebuilt over existing steel structure[10]
  7. Floods in 1894 carried part of an upstream railroad bridge into the Division Street bridge in 1894; metal fatigue, shoddy steel, and a design flaw were also cited by contemporary sources[22]

Citations
  1. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 52.
  2. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 58.
  3. Mass 2013.
  4. WSDOT 2009.
  5. KING 2013.
  6. Matsura, Frank. "Omak Bridge Collapses, ca. 1911". Washington State University. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  7. Chronicles of the Okanogan, Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, February 10, 2011, p. 17
  8. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, pp. 59–60.
  9. Olympian 2001.
  10. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 56.
  11. Girty 2009.
  12. Fisher, Heiken & Hulen 1997.
  13. Foxworthy & Hill 1982.
  14. FEMA 2013.
  15. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 59.
  16. Chow Chow Suspension Bridge, Spanning Quinault River, Taholah, Grays Harbor County, WA, Library of Congress
  17. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 57.
  18. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 54.
  19. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 134.
  20. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 133.
  21. Holstine & Hobbs 2005, p. 55.
  22. Arksey 2006.
  23. Olympia Daily Recorder, March 16, 1915

References
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