The first pilings for the first bridge across Lake Pend Oreille connecting Sandpoint with Sagle were driven on May 26, 1908. Completed March 11, 1910 and advertised as the longest wooden bridge in the world, it was just under two miles in length. It remained in use until the construction and completion of a second bridge. This being the "Dirty Thirties", a time when money was scarce or nonexistent, with help from the WPA (Works Progress Administration), the second bridge was dedicated on March 3, 1934. This bridge served the motoring public for about 22 years, but heavy traffic during World War II degraded the structure sufficiently that, in June of 1956 construction on the third bridge began. That bridge remains in place today, but not as a motor vehicle bridge.
The fourth and (so far) final "Long Bridge" was dedicated on September 23, 1981. The second bridge was built alongside the first bridge, which was later demolished. Similarly, the fourth bridge was build beside the third bridge, but this time the older bridge was not demolished, but instead was turned into a pedestrian bridge, now part of the
Serenity Lee Trail, a walking and biking trail which is today the most popular lake walk from Sandpoint.
The entry for the Sandpoint Bridge from the American Guide Series book
IDAHO: A Guide In Word And Picture follows.
SANDPOINT 67 m. (2,086 alt.; 3,290 pop.), the
seat of Bonner County, is enviably situated on LAKE PEND D'OREILLE which is fourth or fifth in size of the fresh-water lakes lying wholly within the United States. Formed by the drainage from Flathead Lake in Montana through the Clark Fork River, it has a shore line of
125 miles and an extreme depth of 1,800 feet. It abounds in trout and whitefish and affords attractive campsites along its shores. This city, served by three railroads, is also the junction of U S 195 and State 3 (see Tour 11).
Of unusual interest is the SANDPOINT BRIDGE upon US 95 at the southern extremity of the city. Though not spectacular in comparison with the great bridges of the world, it nevertheless spans the lake for a distance of two miles.
From IDAHO: A Guide In Word And Picture, Page 302