Located on the north side of Argyle, this steel stringer bridge crosses the Middle River near US Highway 75.
Built in 1951 to replace an older wooden bridge, this structure consists of three steel stringer spans, moved from other locations. The two outer spans were originally constructed in 1938, but moved from an unknown location. The center span was constructed 1924, and relocated from Bridge #250 at Penrith, Washington. The entire bridge sits on concrete substructures.
In addition, the two different span types use different designs. The outer spans consist of four beams, while the inner span consists of six closely spaced beams.
The Great Northern liked to reuse spans, and had a much shorter design life than other railroads. While the spans were not actually inadequate within only a couple decades, GN liked upgrading the mainlines often, freeing up the secondhand material for branch lines.
Bridges such as this were often used as permanent solutions to trestles, as they were cheap, easy to construct and easy to maintain.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with little deterioration noted on the structure.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.