Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge

Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge
The NRHP-listed covered bridge in Pe Ell, Washington
Coordinates	46°32′43″N 123°17′55″W
Crossed	Chehalis River
Locale	Pe Ell, Washington
Other name(s)	Tin Bridge
Heritage status	NRHP (delisted)
Characteristics
Design	Howe truss
Material	Timber
History
Construction start	1934
Construction end	1934
Collapsed	2007
Closed	1990
Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge
Area	less than one acre
Built	1934 (1934)
Built by	Pe Ell water department
Architect	James Donahue
Architectural style	Covered Howe truss; pony truss
Demolished	1990 (1990); 2007 (2007)
MPS	Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington state
NRHP reference No.	82004261
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 16, 1982
Removed from NRHP	July 16, 1990
Location

The Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge was a covered bridge built in 1934 and located over the Chehalis River near Pe Ell, Washington. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982 but delisted in 1990.

The remains of the historic structure were destroyed due to rushing waters during flooding caused by the Great Coastal Gale of 2007. The crossing, mostly for use as a footpath and as a means to house a water line to the town, was replaced in the following years. The new bridge, continuing to house the water main, is given the moniker, the Tin Bridge.

History

The bridge was built in 1934 by the Pe Ell water department as a means to provide water to the town via a pipe within the bridge. The construction was overseen by James Donahoe, a superintendent of the water department. Although used for foot traffic, the bridge's main purpose was to supply water to the town, which continued unabated at the time of its NRHP nomination.

The bridge was listed by the state as destroyed in 1990 and remnants of the span were scattered during flooding caused by the Great Coastal Gale of 2007. The Chehalis River in the Pe Ell area rose 50 feet (15.2 m) during the event, overcoming the historic site and wrecking the water main. Estimated costs to repair the pipe system, which had been replaced in 2004, reached $800,000. An additional $500,000 was assessed for the bridge. The financial cost of the loss of the bridge and the water supply led the Pe Ell community to consider dissolving the town's government. The remaining pieces of the bridge were required to be retrieved as it was part of the grant to restore the crossing, with the intent to use as many parts of the original Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge as possible.

Rebuilt bridge

In 2002, the Tin Bridge replacement project received $400,000 from the Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program overseen by the Federal Highway Administration, one of just eight sites in the nation to be accepted for the grant. Lewis County began a request for bids to either repair the site or build a new bridge in July 2004 and by the following year, the Tin Bridge Restoration Project had been formed.

After the 2007 flood, the replacement project was budgeted at $407,000 and was given by Lewis County to the town as a no-interest loan. In 2009, the county granted $85,000 from a distressed fund account to help offset the repair costs associated with the water system. By 2013, the Pe Ell government reimbursed the county for approximately $159,000 to cover the cost of the bridge project as part of the loan agreement based on the town receiving funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The bridge restoration had become a FEMA project and was no longer covered under the Historic Covered Bridge Preservation grant.

As of 2024, the rebuilt bridge, known as the Tin Bridge, spans the Upper Chehalis River crossing. The site has been a planned location of a dam, proposed under the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority and fellow partnerships, to control flooding in the Chehalis Valley.

Architecture and engineering

The Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge was described as a short-spanned timber Howe pony truss in six panels. The siding and roof was corrugated metal. The crossing was engineered lacking a diagonal cross brace. Two steel vertical rods were used for tension support. Both the deck and pilings were made of timber. It was considered "stark" and "utilitarian", similar to that of the Doty Bridge. The water main was originally made of wood, which existed until a replacement of the system in 2004.

Geography

The original bridge spanned the Chehalis River at a location approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Pe Ell community.

Significance

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1982. At the time of it's nomination, it was recognized as one of only four covered bridges remaining in Washington and the only existing covered pony truss span in the state. It's significance was implied to be "exceptional" and the age of the bridge to be a notable factor.

Delisting

The Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge was formally delisted on July 16, 1990 after a letter from the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation days prior informed the NRHP that the structure had been destroyed.

External links

• Chehalis River Basin Flood Damage Reduction Project
• Covered Spans of Yesteryear - Pe Ell Bridge details with photos
• University of Washington Digital Library - Photo of bridge, ca. 1963