Latourell Creek Bridge - Columbia River Highway
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 45° 32.322 W 122° 13.125
10T E 560994 N 5043092
Quick Description: Historic reinforced-concrete arched bridge on the Columbia River Highway.
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 3/1/2009 12:38:05 PM
Waymark Code: WM5YA7
Views: 3
Long Description:
From Historic District Nomination form:
"CS6. Structure: Latourell Creek Bridge HAER No. OR-24
Location: HMP26.1 Date: 1914
Designer: K. P. Billner, Oregon State Highway Dept.
Builder: Pacific Bridge Company, Portland
Owner: Oregon Department of Transportation
This bridge consists of three 80-foot reinforced-concrete
braced-spandrel deck arches. Total length, including approaches, is
316 feet. It has a 17-foot-wide road deck and 3-foot
sidewalks. Cap-and-spindle railings here represent a member
of the family of railing types found on CRH structures"
The braced spandrel framing found in this bridge is usually
found only in steel deck arch construction and is unique to this
structure. At the time of its construction it was one of the
lightest concrete bridges, relative to its size, in the
country. The location of the bridge necessitated the light
design due to the difficulty securing a firm foundation, the
underlying bedrock is covered by 25-50 feet of silt or sand.
The piers for this bridge descent 56 feet into the ground.