The Dalles Bridge

The Dalles Bridge
West side of The Dalles Bridge, as viewed from the southern shore of the Columbia River, January 2008
Coordinates 45°36′36″N 121°08′21″W / 45.610136°N 121.139099°W / 45.610136; -121.139099 (The Dalles Bridge)Coordinates: 45°36′36″N 121°08′21″W / 45.610136°N 121.139099°W / 45.610136; -121.139099 (The Dalles Bridge)
Carries US 197
Crosses Columbia River
Locale The Oregon-Washington state line (between The Dalles, Oregon and Dallesport, Washington)
Named for The city of The Dalles
Maintained by Oregon Department of Transportation[1]
NBI number 06635 004 00077
Preceded by Oregon Trunk Rail Bridge
Followed by Hood River Bridge
Characteristics
Design Cantilever truss
Material Steel
Total length 3,339 feet (1,018 m)
Traversable? Yes
Longest span 576 feet (176 m)
No. of spans 33 sub-spans
History
Construction cost $2.4 million[2]
Opened December 18, 1953[2]
Replaces Ferry service
Statistics
Daily traffic nearly 8,400[1]

The Dalles Bridge is a bridge on U.S. Route 197 (US 197) that spans the Columbia River in the United States between The Dalles, Oregon and Dallesport, Washington.[3][4][2]

Description

US 197 shield

The steel cantilever truss bridge is located just downstream from The Dalles Dam.[2][5] Although the bridge reaches into the state of Washington, it is maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The average daily traffic on the bridge (US 197) is nearly 8,400.[1] (US 197 connects Washington State Route 14, a few miles to the north of the bridge, with Interstate 84 and US 30, both just south of the bridge, and with U.S. Route 97, about 67 miles [108 km] to the south.)

History

West side of The Dalles Bridge, as viewed from the southern shore of the Columbia River

Ferry service operations began at the site in 1854, but just over a decade later, in 1865, plans for a bridge began. However, it took about another 85 years and the construction of The Dalles Dam before the bridge finally built. Although the bridge was built in connection with the dam, the bridge opened December 18, 1953, but the dam was not completed until 1957. Due to issues with the dam, the bridge had to be redesigned as a longer one and the location moved slightly farther downstream the originally planned. Notwithstanding, the already fabricated steel components (for the original bridge design) were successfully modified and used in the newly designed bridge. The cost of construction construction was $2.4 million (equivalent to $70.60 million in 2017).

The bridge had a toll from its opening until November 1, 1974, when the bridge's construction bond (which had been issued by Wasco County in Oregon) was paid off.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Border Bridges". wsdot.wa.gov. Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2 Apr 2017.
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Dalles Bridge (for Oregon state)
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Dalles Bridge (for Washington state)
  4. ↑ Google (2 Apr 2017). "The Dalles Bridge" (Map). Google Maps. Google.

Further reading

Holstine, Craig; Hobbs, Richard (2005). Spanning Washington: Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State. Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press. pp. 105–107.

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