Carries US 2 Maintained by State of Washington Longest span 480 feet (150 m) Opened 1950 Location East Wenatchee Body of water Columbia River | Crosses Columbia River Design Tied-arch bridge Total length 368 m Clearance below 26 m Bridge type Tied-arch bridge | |
 | ||
Locale East Wenatchee, Washington / West Wenatchee, Washington Similar Columbia River Bridge, Rock Island Railroad, Yale Bridge, Tied‑arch bridge, Lewis and Clark Bridge | ||
The Senator George Sellar Bridge at Wenatchee, Washington was built in 1950 to carry U.S. Route 2 across the Columbia River. The steel suspended tied-arch bridge has a main span of 480 feet (150 m) with 224-foot (68 m) anchor arms. The suspended portion of roadway comprises 352 feet (107 m) and is 54 feet (16 m) wide, carrying four lanes with a median divider strip at a height of 180 feet (55 m) above mean water level. The 1950 bridge replaced a bridge built in 1908 at the same location. The new bridge was recognized by the American Institute of Steel Construction as the most beautiful bridge of 1950 for spans over 400 feet (120 m) in length.
Map of Senator George Sellar Bridge, Wenatchee, WA, USA
The bridge's engineer was R. W. Finke. The contractor was the General Construction Company of Seattle, using steel fabricated by the American Bridge Company. The bridge rests on two concrete piers in the river, with the central arch between them, and cantilever spans extending to concrete abutments high on the riverbanks. Now named the Senator George Sellar Bridge after a Washington state senator, the bridge carries Washington State Route 285 since the construction of the Richard Odabashian Bridge for Route 2 farther north. An additional lane was added in 2009-2010. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 24, 1995.