The BNSF Kennewick-Pasco Bridge

The BNSF bridge was built circa 1885 as part of the Northern Pacific, the first railroad to link the Pacific Northwest with the rest of the country. The golden spike in the Northern Pacific was placed about 50 miles from Helena MT in 1883. At first, the Northern Pacific leased rights from a subsidiary of the Union Pacific on the Oregon side of the Columbia River through the Columbia Gorge to get from Pasco to Portland. The NP had its own tracks from Portland to Tacoma. The NP decided to build its own line across the Cascades from Pasco to Puget Sound. The line was constructed in the mid 1880s. The Kennewick-Pasco railroad bridge was part of that route. A railroad ferryboat was temporarily used to cross the river until the bridge was completed.

When McNary dam was built in the early-mid 1950s it formed Lake Umatilla. The lake extended upstream along the Columbia to the Tri-Cities. A drawspan was added to the railroad bridge. I would imagine that over the years the bridge has been strengthened to handle the increased weight of modern trains.

The photo was taken in September 2001 from a point near the Kennewick end of the SR 397 cable stayed bridge.