SR 20 - Deception Pass and Canoe Pass Bridges - Painting and Special Repairs - Complete Fall 2021

Canoe Pass Bridge and Deception Pass Bridge are iconic bridges that makeup part of Deception Pass State Park, the most visited state park in Washington. In 1900, the idea of a bridge increasingly gained popularity. Captain George Morse, the new Oak Harbor representative to the state legislature, introduced a bill in 1907 appropriating $90,000 toward the building of the bridge. The area was studied and plans were drawn for two steel arches; a model was built and displayed at the  1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. In 1918, the bridge was promoted as a necessary war effort and in 1921, state legislators wrote an appeal to Congress citing its military importance. The American Legion helped form the Deception Pass Bridge Association which encouraged state legislators to pass the 1929 Bridge Bill. 

By August 1934, bridge fabricator Puget Construction Company of Seattle built the two-span bridge in less than a year. The bridges opened to drivers and pedestrians in the summer of 1935. The Civilian Conservation Corps helped build the road bed leading to the bridge. Its two sections, a 511-feet structure from Fidalgo Island to Pass Island and a 975-feet structure from Pass Island to Whidbey Island, show how the cantilever truss had evolved into an attractive, functional form. Twenty-eight feet wide, with two auto lanes and two sidewalks, it was built for $482,000 (a combined pool of Emergency Relief Administration, county and other federal funds).

The bridges were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

To protect the environment during this work, crews put up a containment system in place as they repaired damaged sections, removed the paint and then repainted the structure. These containment systems looked like tarps hanging from the bridge. This system is used to keep paint, dust and other debris from the work out of the water.

​During construction seasons, crews used many of the upper parking areas along SR 20 for construction equipment. This limited the available parking along SR 20 for visitors.  All park access in other areas, including Bowman Bay and Cranberry Lake, remained open. Please visit the Deception Pass State Park website for park information and to plan your visit. 

The end result

Now that the project is complete, the two bridges have corroded steel pieces replaced and a new coat of evergreen green paint to help prolong the life of these historic structures.​

Project benefits

• Preservation: This work helps protect the bridges from corrosion while preserving their structural integrity.
• Economic: Maintaining the bridges is more cost-efficient than replacing them. Maintained properly, the bridges will continue to keep up with the high demand of traffic for years to come.
• Environmental: Removing lead-based paint and replacing it with lead-free paint is better for the surrounding environment.