It is not really a bridge to nowhere since its curves will eventually lead to somewhere--the long L-shaped pier (after it is restored), making a spectacular loop over the water of Salish Bay. The bridge, completed in 2010, connects a vast Chambers Creek Regional Park with more than two miles of Puget Sound beach, previously inaccessible because of mainline railroad tracks. It is located in University Place, about four miles south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (another great cycle ride.)
Chambers Creek Park has an interesting history. The Steilacoom tribe inhabited the area for many centuries prior to the coming of Europeans. Hudson's Bay Company arrived in 1832 and built Fort Steilacoom as its regional headquarters. When the US-Canadian border was established in 1846, the US Army took over the fort to protect our interests, particularly from those who were dissatisfied with the boundary location. Some British favored the Columbia River.
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In the 1850s, the area was home to logging, agriculture, and mills, but gravel mining soon came to dominate. All the mining companies were eventually acquired by Lonestar Northwest in 1992, making it the largest producer of sand and gravel in the United States. Mining continued for another decade, when reclamation began.
Today, the Chambers Creek Properties are home to a championship golf course (where the 2015 Open will be held), miles of trails, the bridge to two miles of saltwater beach, wastewater treatment facilities, and other municipal operations.
