Located at the Top of Tumwater Canyon near the US 2 Wenatchee
River Bridge
I took this picture at the cache location. The fall colors were
just starting to change. In another week or two the canyon will be
multi-colored with red, orange, and yellow leaves.
One of the most scenic drives in Washington state, the highway
through Tumwater Canyon starts here at this bridge and winds its
way, following the Wenatchee River, downhill to Leavenworth. This
route is part of the scenic Cascade Loop. The Wenatchee River can
be seen changing from slow moving to raging whitewater. There are
several pullouts along the way for viewing this beautiful river
canyon and mountains.
The WSDOT is planning to replace this old bridge in the near
future. The project is currently in the initial design phase, with
a scheduled construction start in late Spring 2011. The reason why
is the current steel truss/concrete girder structure is
functionally obsolete, which means it is too narrow to meet today's
design standards for roadway width. It was originally built as a
railroad bridge in 1900, moved to this location in 1936 and
converted to a highway bridge. The age and structure type doesn't
allow for widening and it must be replaced. This project will take
two seasons to complete.