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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)
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The Dalles Bridge
West side of The Dalles Bridge, as viewed from the north shore of the Columbia River, January 2008
Coordinates45°36′36″N 121°08′21″W / 45.610136°N 121.139099°W / 45.610136; -121.139099 (The Dalles Bridge)
Carries US 197
CrossesColumbia River
LocaleThe Oregon-Washington state line (between The Dalles, Oregon and Dallesport, Washington)
Named forThe city of The Dalles
Maintained byOregon Department of Transportation[1]
NBI number06635 004 00077
Preceded byOregon Trunk Rail Bridge
Followed byHood River Bridge
Characteristics
DesignCantilever truss
MaterialSteel
Total length3,339 feet (1,018 m)
Traversable?Yes
Longest span576 feet (176 m)
No. of spans33 sub-spans
History
Construction cost$2.4 million[2]
OpenedDecember 18, 1953[2]
ReplacesFerry service
Statistics
Daily trafficnearly 8,400[1]
Location
Map

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

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The steel cantilever truss bridge is located just downstream from The Dalles Dam.[2] 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

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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 was 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 than 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 was $2.4 million (equivalent to $87.9 million in 2023).

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

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  1. ^ a b c "Border Bridges". wsdot.wa.gov. Washington State Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 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)

Further reading

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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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