Yale Bridge, State Route 503 Spanning Lewis River, Yale, Cowlitz County, WA

Significance: The Yale Bridge is the only steel short-span suspension bridge in the state, although there are many timber examples. It is rare in the sense that less expensive span types are usually chosen for short crossings but it was built economically, using cost-saving materials and construction techniques. / The Yale Bridge is the only short-span steel suspension structure in Washington. It is rare to find this type of bridge at any location because mathematical calculations in stress analysis made in the course of designing a suspension span were tedious and time consuming. Rarer still is the placing of a suspension bridge in a remote location on what was at the time of construction, in 1932, a county road. But the Yale Bridge was an experiment in designing for economy. Its advanced system of tower main cable connections made erecting the bridge relatively simple and permitted the use of smaller diameter cables.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N143
Survey number: HAER WA-87