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When opened on 11/23/1911, this structure spanning the Spokane River Gorge was the world's third largest all-concrete bridge. Spokane City Engineer, John Chester Ralston worked with engineers, Morton McCarthy, J. F. Greene, and P. F. Kennedy, on the technical specifications of the bridge. Kirtland Kelsey Cutter and Karl Malmgren collaborated with engineer Ralston on the Monroe Street Bridge's aesthetic features.

In 1911, the all-concrete central arch of the bridge measured 281 feet, just longer than the 280-foot Rocky River Bridge in Cleveland, OH, making it the longest in the U.S. The total length of the bridge was 780 feet. In 1914, the Union Pacific Railway erected a bridge that covered the Monroe Street Bridge from some vantage points. It was demolished in 1973, in preparation for the World's Fair held in Spokane the following year. J.L. Robbins Company postcard #320 depicts a Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul train passing over the Monroe Street Bridge #2 and the Spokane River.

Repairs on the Monroe Street Bridge occurred beginning in 01/2003, when all elements of the bridge, save for its central arch were demolished. Engineers reassembled the bridge as per the original, opening it by 09/2005.