Division Street Bridge (Spokane, Washington)

Division Street Bridge
The fourth, and current iteration, of the Division Street Bridge as seen in 2018
Coordinates47°39′45″N 117°24′40″W / 47.6626°N 117.4112°W / 47.6626; -117.4112
CarriedAutomobiles, Trucks and Pedestrians
CrossedSpokane River
LocaleSpokane, Washington
Official nameSenator Sam C. Guess Memorial Bridge
Named forDivision Street
Characteristics
Trough constructionConcrete
No. of lanes6 Travel lanes (3 lanes each direction)
History
DesignerHugh L. Cooper (1892 span)
Opened1888
Rebuilt1892, 1917, 1992
Collapsed1915 (1892 span)
Location
Map

The Division Street Bridge is a road bridge located in Spokane, Washington that carries Division Street, U.S. 2, and U.S. 395 across the Spokane River in Downtown Spokane, roughly a half-mile east (upstream) of Spokane Falls. There have been multiple iterations of the bridge throughout its history. The current bridge is a concrete span and was built in 1992 and is officially known as the Senator Sam C. Guess Memorial Bridge.

The original bridge was a wooden truss structure built in 1882, which was replaced in 1892 by the steel bridge. The designer, Hugh L. Cooper from New York, designed the bridge to hold a dead load of 4800 pounds per linear foot, which he claimed was a weight far greater than any standard freight train at the time. The bridge was designed with two streetcar tracks, roadbed for horse and wagon (and, later, automobile) traffic, and pedestrian sidewalks.