Bridge of the Gods
Coordinates45°39′44″N 121°54′04″W / 45.6623°N 121.9012°W / 45.6623; -121.9012 (Bridge of the Gods)
CrossesColumbia River
LocaleCascade Locks, Oregon / Skamania County, Washington
Maintained byPort of Cascade Locks
Characteristics
DesignCantilever through truss
Total length1,856 ft (565 m)
Longest span706 ft (215 m)
Clearance below140 feet (43 m)[1]
History
Opened1926
Statistics
Daily traffic3,732 (2014)[2]
TollCars $3.00 (both directions)
Location

The Bridge of the Gods is a steel truss cantilever bridge that spans the Columbia River between Cascade Locks, Oregon, and Washington state near North Bonneville. It is approximately 40 miles (64 km) east of Portland, Oregon, and 4 miles (6.4 km) upriver from Bonneville Dam. It is a toll bridge operated by the Port of Cascade Locks.

Bridge of the Gods

The bridge was completed by the Wauna Toll Bridge Company and opened in 1926 at a length of 1,127 feet (344 m). The higher river levels resulting from the construction of the Bonneville Dam required the bridge to be further elevated by 44 feet (13 m) in 1938[3] and extended to its current length of 1,858 feet (566 m).[4] The Columbia River Bridge Company of Spokane, Washington, acquired ownership of the bridge in 1953 for $735,000[5] (equivalent to $8.04 million[6] today). The Port of Cascade Locks purchased the bridge with $950,000 (or $9.3 million[6] today) in revenue bonds, issued on November 1, 1961. The Port of Cascade Locks Commission owns and operates the bridge still today.

The Bridge of the Gods in 2015

The bridge is named after the historic geologic feature also known as Bridge of the Gods.

The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Columbia River on the Bridge of the Gods. The lowest elevation of the trail is about a mile north from the bridge at 110 feet (34 m).[8]

Onlookers in September 1927 saw Charles Lindbergh fly the Spirit of St. Louis from Portland low over the new bridge and then, in a bit of barnstorming, make a 180 degree turn and fly back under the bridge, continuing to the Portland Airport, then on Swan Island.[3]

For many years, the bridge toll was $1 per crossing; In 2016, it was raised to $2 due to the increased traffic after the release of the 2014 film Wild. The toll was increased to $3 in July, 2022.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bridge of the Gods". Port of Cascade Locks. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ "WSDOT Annual Traffic Report, 2014" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail: Bridge of the Gods, Part 1". US National Park Service. Retrieved November 24, 2020. Strange trivia fact: In September 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew up the gorge from Portland in the "Spirit of St. Louis," passing low over the newly-built Bridge of the Gods.
  4. ↑ PortofCascadeLocks. "Bridge of the Gods". Port of Cascade Locks. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  5. ↑ "Bridge of Gods changes hands". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Wash. February 19, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  6. 1 2 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  7. ↑ https://pctmap.net/google/
  8. ↑ The bridge deck itself lies at ~180 feet above sea level, with the water below at ~77 feet. South West of the bridge, the trail declines slightly in elevation. According to Halfmile's 2018 PCT track[7] with Google Earth's elevation data, the lowest point is at 110 ft near Wauna Lake Road, about a mile past the bridge.
  9. ↑ "Bridge of the Gods toll increases July 1, 'Wild' movie to blame". KATU. June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
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