Benton City – Kiona Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Benton City – Kiona Bridge |
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Looking up at the bridge from the banks of the Yakima River
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| Coordinates | 46°15′10.54″N 119°28′31.74″W / 46.2529278°N 119.4754833°W |
| Carries |  SR 225 |
| Crosses | Yakima River |
| Locale | Benton City, Washington |
| Maintained by | WSDOT |
| ID number | 082446000000000 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | box girder bridge/cable-stayed bridge |
| Material | steel |
| Total length | 400 feet (121.9 m) |
| Width | 26 feet (7.8 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Homer M. Hadley |
| Opened | July 4, 1957 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 9,500 (2012) |
The Benton City – Kiona Bridge is a strong steel bridge in Benton City, Washington. It helps Washington State Route 225 (SR 225) cross over the Yakima River. This bridge is special because it uses two cool designs: a box girder and a cable-stayed bridge.
The current bridge opened on July 4, 1957. It is about 122 meters (400 feet) long and 7.8 meters (25.6 feet) wide. Before this bridge, two other bridges connected Benton City and Kiona. They were located a bit further downstream. The first bridge opened around 1901. The bridge right before the current one was taken down in 1964. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) owns and takes care of the bridge. It was added to the Washington State Heritage Register on January 25, 2002. This means it's an important historical landmark.
About the Bridge
The Benton City – Kiona Bridge is near the start of Washington State Route 225 in Benton City. It helps connect Benton City to bigger highways like Interstate 82 (I-82) and U.S. Route 12 (US 12). The bridge has two lanes for cars.
While the roads on either side of the bridge have bicycle lanes, the bridge itself does not. However, it does have sidewalks. These sidewalks are about 1.2 meters (4 feet) wide. They are also raised about 25 centimeters (10 inches) above the road. This helps keep people walking safe from cars.
The WSDOT counts how many vehicles use the bridge each year. This helps them understand how busy the road is. In 2012, about 9,500 vehicles crossed the bridge every day.
Bridge History
Older Bridges
The very first bridge in this spot was built by 1901. Sadly, a big flood on the Yakima River in late 1917 destroyed it. Maps from 1914 showed this first bridge. It even had the letters "US" on it to help travelers find their way. The Yakima River had many floods over the years, including in 1894, 1917, 1922, 1933, and 1948.
After the first bridge was destroyed, a new one was built. But by 1954, this second bridge was getting old. It was also too narrow for all the cars, being less than 5.2 meters (17 feet) wide. This second bridge was taken down in 1964. This was seven years after the current bridge opened.
The Current Bridge
Plans for the bridge we see today started in November 1955. It was estimated to cost about $140,000 back then. The new bridge was designed to be higher than past flood levels. It was built about 91 meters (300 feet) upstream from the old bridge.
The second bridge had been used for 40 years. About 1,700 cars crossed it each day. The new bridge was designed to handle much more traffic. For example, in 2012, about 9,500 cars crossed the current bridge daily.
Everett McKellar won the job to build the bridge in 1956. The bridge was designed by Homer M. Hadley. He was a famous engineer who also designed other important bridges in Washington. The final cost of the bridge was a bit over $196,000. It officially opened to traffic on July 4, 1957.
This bridge is thought to be the first steel box girder bridge ever built in the United States. A box girder bridge gets its strength from its box-shaped main support beams.
The bridge was added to the Washington State Heritage Register on January 25, 2002. This means it's recognized as an important part of the state's history.
