McMillin Bridge – Orting WA

Description

One of many PWA and WPA projects in Washington state:

“Crossing the Puyallip River on Route 162 in Pierce County, the McMillin Bridge was an engineering wonder of its time. It is a truss style bridge that used concrete instead of wood, like other truss bridges of the time. Also the McMillin Bridge applied a theory mainly practiced in Europe at the time. Hollow-box construction, the act of pouring cement around hollowed wooden shafts, not only made the structure more economical but also it lightened the load of it. This reduction in weight also helped, because the engineers had to make the main span of the bridge 170 feet. The bridge opened to the public in1934.”