Thousands of cars pass over the Simpson Avenue Bridge across the Hoquiam River on eastbound US 101 every day. Built in 1928, this bridge marked an important step in the development of the state’s highway system.
Hoquiam Needed a Second Bridge
With the timber industry at its height, 1920’s Hoquiam was experiencing an economic and construction boom. But its infrastructure could not keep up. Only the Eighth Street Bridge crossed the Hoquiam River to connect east and west Hoquiam, leading to traffic jams.
City leaders decided they needed a new bridge and wanted to avoid making it a toll bridge. They reached an agreement with the State to build the new bridge in partnership. The State designed the bridge to be a vital link in State Route No. 9, part of the Olympic Loop Highway that the state was building.
Hoquiam voters approved selling $250,000 in bonds for the new bridge in 1923. The State provided the rest of the funding. In total, the project would cost nearly $500,000.
The Department of Highways picked Simpson Avenue as the best place to cross the Hoquiam River, designing a drawbridge that would allow vessels to pass.
While bids were due February 15, 1927, the Highway Commission had to delay awarding the contract when only one commission member, State Treasurer G.W. Potts, showed up at their March 8 meeting in Olympia. Governor Roland Hartley had backed out at the last minute due to legislative season and State Auditor C.W. Clausen was hospitalized with the flu.
The full commission was able to reconvene on March 16. They awarded the bridge contract to the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, a leading Seattle-based shipbuilding and construction company.
Simpson Avenue Bridge Constructed on Time
Construction began on March 25, 1927. J.F. Hamilton served as resident architect for the state with D.B. Wheaton as superintendent of the construction for the contractors.
The Simpson Avenue Bridge is 1,978 feet long. Due to the low riverbank, long ascending timber approaches were built to increase the bridge’s clearance over the water. Steel and concrete spans cross the river. At the bridge’s center is a double leaf Strauss Bascule span that can be lifted to allow vessels to pass. Using counterweights, the bridge can be lifted in six minutes.
The bridge was completed three weeks before the state’s June 1, 1928 deadline.
Thousands Attend Hoquiam Bridge Opening
Friday, May 11, 1928, was chosen for a formal dedication ceremony. “Tomorrow,” the Hoquiam American newspaper declared in a full-page ad sponsored by local businesses “…will go down in Hoquiam’s history to mark a state-wide recognition, and again prove the strength of the foundation upon which the real prosperity of Hoquiam’s future rests!”
Boosters throughout Grays Harbor County celebrated that the new bridge would connect the county closer together, to the benefit of all.
Schools and businesses closed for the 11a.m. ceremony. Thousands packed the bridge and shore to watch as Governor’s Hartley’s party coming from the east met the official Hoquiam delegation coming from the west in the center of the bridge. Chief William “Billy” Mason represented the Quinault.
Hoquiam mayor George Brault welcomed the crowd. Governor Hartley congratulated the city on its new bridge, “an important link of one of the state’s most important highways.” Reminding them of tourism, he declared that, “The span will impress travelers, it will speed travelers and will decrease the possibility of accidents in crossing the river.”
Hartley cut the ribbon, officially opening the bridge as mills and boats blared their sirens. Airplanes circled overhead, dropping flowers on the crowd.
A parade through flag-lined streets led to Hotel Emerson, where the Chamber of Commerce hosted an informal reception and luncheon for state officials and local dignitaries.
The bridge was open to traffic as soon as the parade moved off the bridge.
New Hoquiam Bridge Hiccups
Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company employees stayed on hand to aid bridge tenders for the first month or so to make sure the company’s new machinery was functioning properly.
But while the bridge was popular – 12,307 cars were counted crossing the bridge over a 24-hour period in May – police had to redirect vehicles unable to make a minimum of 12 mph to the Eighth Street Bridge. This included bicycles. Traffic at the old bridge had declined dramatically after the Simpson Avenue Bridge opened.
All traffic had to be temporarily detoured to the Eighth Street Bridge after the failure of the electric motor that operated the rolling locks supporting the span’s center leaves when lowered.
Simpson Avenue Bridge: Still Critical a Century Later
The Simpson Avenue Bridge handled both east and west bound Highway 101 until the Riverside Avenue Bridge was built in the 1970s. Today, Simpson carries eastbound Highway 101 while Riverside carries westbound.
The bridge was redecked in 1948 and has undergone many repairs since. In 2013 WSDOT raised the height of support trusses after a series of damaging collisions with overloaded vehicles. Ongoing maintenance remains critical to the bridge, which WSDOT classifies in poor condition.
In 1982, the Simpson Avenue Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in honor of its continuing role in connecting people and communities in Grays Harbor. According to WSDOT, an average of 14,760 vehicles cross the bridge every day in 2025.
Nearly a century old, the Simpson Avenue Bridge remains a symbol of Hoquiam. “It’s a tough town,” longtime Hoquiam resident Lee Thomasson reflected in a 2013 WSDOT video about the bridge, “We’re a tough people. And it’s a tough bridge.”
