Parametrix was selected by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to prepare a statewide historic bridge thematic context study. A thematic context study is a tool used by cultural resources specialists to help efficiently evaluate if historic-aged buildings and infrastructure are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Bridges are frequently recognized as significant for their design or engineering innovations (NRHP eligibility criteria C). WSDOT has asked Parametrix to create guidance to help their staff, local governments, and cultural resources practitioners more successfully evaluate the eligibility of historic bridges based on their associations with specific events or historic trends that made a significant contribution to the development of a community, the State of Washington, or the nation (NRHP eligibility criteria A).
This work will support WSDOT’s efficient cultural resources review process and provide clarity on which historic bridges and bridge components are significant.
The Parametrix team will be led by Senior Cultural Resources Specialist January Tavel and supported by Architectural Historians Corey Lentz and Eliot Heath. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with WSDOT on this important project!” said Tavel.
Learn more about WSDOT’s inventory of historic highway bridges, including the Ebey Slough Bridge, Manette Bridge, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, known as “Galloping Gertie.”
