Then and now: Latah Creek Bridge

In 1911, less than a year after the city completed the Monroe Street Bridge, work began on the Sunset Boulevard bridge, now better known as the Latah Creek bridge, in West Spokane. Part of the impetus for the new structure was the importance of wheat farming in central Washington and growing traffic of a new form of transportation, automobiles, on the roadways that would eventually stretch to Seattle. The bridge originally was fitted with rails for interurban trains. Read the story here.

Section:Gallery

Sun., Nov. 17, 2019

1911 - Work begins on a new Latah Bridge, which was destined to draw national interest for its engineering and construction. The structure, over Latah Creek at the western edge of Spokane, was built by J.E. Cunningham, Spokane contractor. It opened to traffic on Oct. 16, 1913, the bridge was 1,100 feet long almost 200 feet longter than Monroe Street Bridge. Photo from a collection of E.L. Cunningham
The concrete Latah Creek Bridge, completed in 1913 and seen here in this Nov. 14, 2019 photo, still carries thousands of cars a day from dowtown to the West Plains, though traffic is limited to the two center lanes because of deterioration. The bridge features seven rounded arches with smaller spandrel arches above those. It is also known as Hangman Creek Bridge or the Sunset Boulevard bridge.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review