Engineers Warned the Kennewick–Richland Bridge Was Dangerous
With the old Yakima River crossing judged too flimsy to repair, county commissioners prepared to let a contract for a new steel highway bridge by the end of December 1916.
The story, cleaned up
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One of the last official acts of the present board of county commissioners will probably be to let a contract for the building of a new steel highway bridge across the Yakima River between here and Richland.
According to reports of several engineers the present bridge is unsafe, and because of its light construction its repair is considered impracticable. In making up next year’s estimate for the general road and bridge fund the commissioners included a sum sufficient to build this bridge, and at a recent meeting the county auditor was authorized to advertise for bids to be submitted December 29.
There seems to be little doubt but that the present bridge is in a dangerous condition. It has been pronounced so by County Engineer T. J. Wright, the engineer of the Coast Bridge Construction Company, and by Wm. Yaeger of Seattle. Mr. Yaeger, who made a recent examination of the bridge, was engaged by the commissioners upon the recommendation of the state highway department. He has filed a detailed report in which he points out the many defects and weaknesses in the bridge.
“There seems to be little doubt but that the present bridge is in a dangerous condition.”
In 1916, engineers warned that the Kennewick–Richland crossing was too weak to repair, prompting a replacement contract. The Tri-Cities still depend on river crossings and still wrestle with bridge funding, safety, and growth.
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