View source for Deception Pass Bridge

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox bridge
| bridge_name      = Deception Pass Bridge
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| image            = Deceptionpass bridge2.jpg
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = Both Canoe Pass and Deception Pass Bridges, looking east
| official_name    = 
| other_name       = 
| carries          = {{jct|state=WA|WA|20}}
| crosses          = [[Deception Pass]], Canoe Pass
| locale           = [[Oak Harbor, Washington]]
| owner            = 
| maint            = 
| id               =
| website          =
| architect        = 
| designer         = 
| engineering      = 
| design           = Deck arch, cantilever
| material         = Steel
| length           = {{Convert|1487|ft|m}}
| width            = {{Convert|28|ft|m}}
| height           = 
| mainspan         = {{Convert|511|ft|m}}
| spans            = 
| pierswater       = 
| load             = 
| clearance        = 
| below            = {{Convert|180|ft|m}}
| life             = 
| builder          = 
| fabricator       = 
| begin            = August 1934
| complete         = 
| cost             = 
| open             = 
| inaugurated      = July 1935
| toll             = 
| traffic          = 20,000 cars
| preceded         = 
| followed         = 
| heritage         = NRHP
| collapsed        = 
| closed           =
| replaces         =
| map_cue          = 
| map_image        = 
| map_alt          = 
| map_text         = 
| map_width        = 
| lat              = 
| long             = 
| references       = 
| extra = 
{{Infobox NRHP
| name            = Deception Pass Bridge
| image           = Deception Pass Bridge in 2017.jpg
| caption         = Deception Pass Bridge, connecting Whidbey Island to Pass Island.
| location        = [[Island County, Washington|Island]] and [[Skagit County, Washington|Skagit]] counties, [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| nearest_city    = [[Oak Harbor, Washington|Oak Harbor]]; [[Anacortes, Washington|Anacortes]]
| area            =
| added           = July 16, 1982
| refnum          = 82004285
| visitation_num  =
| visitation_year =
| mpsub           = Historic Bridges/Tunnels in Washington State TR
| embed           = yes
}} }}

'''Deception Pass Bridge''' is the common name for two two-lane bridges on [[Washington State Route 20]] connecting [[Whidbey Island]] in [[Island County, Washington|Island County]], to [[Fidalgo Island]] in [[Skagit County, Washington|Skagit County]], in the U.S. state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. It was a Washington State Highways project, and included project elements built by young workers from the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]. Completion of the bridge was a factor in the decision to build [[Naval Air Station Whidbey Island]] and helped [[Oak Harbor, Washington|Oak Harbor]] flourish. The bridge is a commonly photographed landmark of the [[Puget Sound]] region.

==History==
{{Further|Deception Pass}}
In the spring of 1792, [[Joseph Whidbey]], master of [[HMS Discovery (1789)|HMS ''Discovery'']] and [[Captain Vancouver]]'s chief navigator proved that it was not really a small bay as charted by the [[Spaniards]] (hence the name "Deception"), but a deep and turbulent channel that connects the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]] with the [[Saratoga Passage]], which separates the mainland from what they believed was a peninsula (actually Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island). [[Thomas Coupe]], a sea captain and founder of Coupeville, was the only man ever to sail a full-rigged ship through the strait discovered by Whidbey.

In the early years of the 20th century, travelers of the horse-and-buggy era used an unscheduled ferry to cross from Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island. To call the ferry, they banged a saw with a mallet and then sat back to wait.

The bridge, one of the scenic wonders of the [[Pacific Northwest]], is actually two spans, one over [[Canoe Pass]] to the north, and another over [[Deception Pass]] to the south. Pass Island lies between the two bridges. Construction began in August 1934, and the completed bridge was dedicated at noon on July 31, 1935. The Wallace Bridge and Structural Co. of [[Seattle, Washington]] provided 460 tons of steel for the {{Convert|511|ft|m|adj=on}} Canoe Pass arch and 1130 tons for the {{Convert|976|ft|m|adj=on}} Deception Pass span. The cost of the [[New Deal]]-era construction was $482,000, made possible through the [[Public Works Administration]] and county funds.

In 1982, the bridge was listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] ahead of a repainting project that cost more than the original construction cost.<ref name="Herald">{{cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=November 13, 2014 |title=Plenty of places to explore in Oak Harbor, around north Whidbey |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/life/plenty-of-places-to-explore-in-oak-harbor-around-north-whidbey/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> A second repainting was completed in 1997.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} {{Update inline span|date=November 2022|A third repainting project began in May 2019 and is expected to be completed in late 2021 at a cost of $22.6&nbsp;million.}} The bridge will retain its current color, named "Evergreen Green", using lead-free paint; the project also includes replacement of steel pieces that have signs of corrosion.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 7, 2019 |title=Deception Pass bridges undergoing repair, painting |url=https://www.goskagit.com/anacortes/deception-pass-bridges-undergoing-repair-painting/article_312e5c6e-7115-11e9-8d92-eb5c224f0af6.html |work=[[Skagit Valley Herald]] |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Emily |date=May 3, 2019 |title=Deception Pass Bridge repair project starts Monday |url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/deception-pass-and-canoe-bridges/281-e370c677-1bb1-4ae2-a3e2-4ed4e8acc40c |publisher=[[KING-TV|KING 5 News]] |access-date=May 7, 2020}}</ref>

Deception Pass Bridge was the inspiration for the under-bridge sequence in the 2004 video game, [[Half-Life 2]].

==Bridge facts==
* Height from water to roadway: about {{Convert|180|ft|m}}, depending on the [[tide]]
* Roadway: two {{Convert|11|ft|m|adj=on}} lanes, one in each direction
* Sidewalks: {{Convert|3|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} sidewalk on each side
* Width of bridge deck: {{Convert|28|ft|m}}
* Total length: {{Convert|1487|ft|m}} (more than a quarter mile)
* Canoe Pass: one {{Convert|350|ft|m|adj=on}} arch and three concrete T-beam approach spans
* Deception Pass: two {{Convert|175|ft|m|adj=on}} [[cantilever]] spans, one {{Convert|200|ft|m|adj=on}} suspended span, and four concrete T-beam approach spans
* Vehicle crossings: 20,000 per day on average
* Maximum speed of current in Deception Pass at flood/ebb tide: 9 kts
* Maximum speed of current in Canoe Pass at flood/ebb tide: 10 kts
* 12 total suicides by jumping from the bridge in 2009 and 15 in 2010


{{Gallery
| width=200
| File:Deception Pass bridge.jpg
 | A view of the east side of the bridge
| File:Deceptionpass bridge3.jpg
 | Looking south towards Canoe pass (foreground) and Deception pass
| File:Deception Pass Bridge view.jpg
 | Looking west towards [[Deception Pass strait]] from the top of the bridge
| File:Deception Pass Bridge, Washington.jpg
  | Aerial view of the bridge
}}

==See also==
*[[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline}}
*[http://www.deceptionpassfoundation.org Deception Pass Park Foundation webpage]
*{{Structurae|id=20018627|title=Deception Pass Bridge}}
*{{HAER |survey=WA-103 |id=wa0458 |title=Deception Pass Bridge, Spanning Deception Pass at State Route 20, Anacortes, Skagit County, WA |photos=7 |color=3 |data=14 |cap=1}}
*[http://www.maritimeheritage.net/attractions/attraction_select.asp?id=149 Maritime Heritage Network]

{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bridges completed in 1935]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Island County, Washington]]
[[Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Skagit County, Washington]]
[[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Island County, Washington]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Skagit County, Washington]]
[[Category:Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Steel bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Cantilever bridges in the United States]]