
Pioneer Memorial Bridge (Blue Bridge), Kennewick, WA
N 46° 13.424 W 119° 08.140
11T E 335299 N 5121123
The Pioneer Memorial Bridge (Blue Bridge) was dedicated on July 30, 1954.
Waymark Code: WM9X66
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 10/09/2010
Views: 11
The Pioneer Memorial Bridge (Blue Bridge) spans the Columbia river in Washington state, between Pasco and Kennewick and was dedicated on July 30, 1954.
The bridge cost $7 million to build and replaced the old two-lane bridge which had lanes only 19 feet wide (narrower than normal) and handled about 10,000 cars a day. The expansion of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Richland had caused increased traffic and the old bridge needed to be replaced.
The nearby cities asked for federal funding for a new bridge and the Washington State Legislature authorized money to pay for the bridge in 1951. Construction began on September 19, 1951. When completed, the bridge measured 2,520-foot long, 66 feet of traffic lanes plus pedestrian sidewalks on either side, and contained almost 10 million pounds of metal.
This interesting website provides very detailed information regarding the building of this bridge: (
visit link)