Just A Car Guy: Monroe, Snohomish county, Wa, the longest covered railroad span in the U.S and the longest covered bridge in the western USA., 450' 3 spans across the Skykomish River. Dismantled in 1969

Monday, June 01, 2020

Monroe, Snohomish county, Wa, the longest covered railroad span in the U.S and the longest covered bridge in the western USA., 450' 3 spans across the Skykomish River. Dismantled in 1969

The former railroad line, running south to Duvall and other destinations, dated to about 1900, and a covered railroad bridge was built over the river in 1911. In 1939, according to the Monroe Historical Society, that bridge was replaced by a 450-foot covered bridge that was the longest covered railroad bridge in the world and the longest covered bridge of any kind in the Western U.S.

The covered span was replaced in 1969 by the steel bridge, which was later abandoned by the Milwaukee Road. The tracks were last used in the 1970s, said Bob Wieneke, 67, a lifelong Monroe resident who attended last week’s demolition.

After the abandonment, the line fell to other private owners, but the history is unclear.

“No one knows who really owns it,” said Bill Sayer, the vice president of aggregates for Cadman, which operates quarries in the area and is paying for the demolition as the ostensible owner of the span.

Each truss is about 120 feet long and weighs 100 tons.