The remains of the historic structure were destroyed due to rushing waters during flooding caused by the Great Coastal Gale of 2007. The crossing, mostly for use as a footpath and as a means to house a water line to the town, was replaced in the following years. The new bridge, continuing to house the water main, is given the moniker, the Tin Bridge.
History
The bridge was built in 1934 by the Pe Ell water department as a means to provide water to the town via a pipe within the bridge. The construction was overseen by James Donahoe, a superintendent of the water department. Although used for foot traffic, the bridge's main purpose was to supply water to the town, which continued unabated at the time of its NRHP nomination.[3]
The bridge was listed by the state as destroyed in 1990[3] and remnants of the span were scattered during flooding caused by the Great Coastal Gale of 2007. The Chehalis River in the Pe Ell area rose 50 feet (15.2 m) during the event, overcoming the historic site and wrecking the water main. Estimated costs to repair the pipe system, which had been replaced in 2004, reached $800,000. An additional $500,000 was assessed for the bridge. The financial cost of the loss of the bridge and the water supply led the Pe Ell community to consider dissolving the town's government.[4] The remaining pieces of the bridge were required to be retrieved as it was part of the grant to restore the crossing, with the intent to use as many parts of the original Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge as possible.[5]
Rebuilt bridge
In 2002, the Tin Bridge replacement project received $400,000 from the Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program overseen by the Federal Highway Administration, one of just eight sites in the nation to be accepted for the grant.[6][7] Lewis County began a request for bids to either repair the site or build a new bridge in July 2004[8] and by the following year, the Tin Bridge Restoration Project had been formed.[7]
After the 2007 flood, the replacement project was budgeted at $407,000 and was given by Lewis County to the town as a no-interest loan.[9][10] In 2009, the county granted $85,000 from a distressed fund account to help offset the repair costs associated with the water system.[11] By 2013, the Pe Ell government reimbursed the county for approximately $159,000 to cover the cost of the bridge project as part of the loan agreement based on the town receiving funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The bridge restoration had become a FEMA project and was no longer covered under the Historic Covered Bridge Preservation grant.[10]
As of 2024[update], the rebuilt bridge, known as the Tin Bridge, spans the Upper Chehalis River crossing. The site has been a planned location of a dam, proposed under the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority and fellow partnerships, to control flooding in the Chehalis Valley.[12]
Architecture and engineering
The Weyerhaeuser Pe Ell Bridge was described as a short-spanned timber Howepony truss in six panels. The siding and roof was corrugated metal. The crossing was engineered lacking a diagonal cross brace. Two steel vertical rods were used for tension support. Both the deck and pilings were made of timber. It was considered "stark" and "utilitarian", similar to that of the Doty Bridge.[3][13] The water main was originally made of wood, which existed until a replacement of the system in 2004.[4]
Geography
The original bridge spanned the Chehalis River at a location approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Pe Ell community.[3]
Significance
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1982.[14] At the time of its nomination, it was recognized as one of only four covered bridges remaining in Washington and the only existing covered pony truss span in the state. Its significance was implied to be "exceptional" and the age of the bridge to be a notable factor.[3]
