Beebe Bridge

Beebe Bridge
The bridge with the old tower to the right
Coordinates47°48′50″N 119°58′21″W / 47.81381°N 119.97261°W / 47.81381; -119.97261
Carries US 97
CrossesColumbia River
LocaleChelan, Washington
Maintained byWashington State DOT
Characteristics
DesignContinuous-Steel Through-Truss
Total length1,227 ft (374.0 m)
History
Construction end1963
Statistics
Daily traffic5,000 (2009)
Location

The Beebe Bridge (/ˈbbi/ BEE-bee) is a two-lane, steel through arch bridge crossing the Columbia River at Chelan Falls, Washington. Located three miles east of Lake Chelan, the bridge is part of U.S. Route 97 and averages 5000 vehicle crossings per day.

The Beebe Bridge is 1,040 feet (320 m) long with a deck width of 26 feet (7.9 m) supporting one lane of traffic in each direction and 3-foot (0.91 m) sidewalks on either side. It is one of three "Continuous-steel through-truss tied-arch" bridges in the state. The Blue Bridge over the Columbia in the Tri-Cities, and the Elmer Huntley Bridge over the Snake are of the same design. Seismically retrofitted in 2000, the Beebe Bridge was considered to be in very good condition following its last structural safety inspection in 2007. In 1959 WSDOT began construction of the current bridge, which was opened in June 1963 for a cost $1,120,000.