Astoria–Megler Bridge
The Astoria–Megler Bridge is a steel cantilever through truss bridge in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States that spans the lower Columbia River. It carries a section of U.S. Route 101 from Astoria, Oregon, to Point Ellice near Megler, Washington. Opened in 1966, it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. The bridge is from the mouth of the river at the Pacific Ocean. The bridge is in length, and was the final segment of U.S. Route 101 to be completed between Olympia, Washington, and Los Angeles, California. History Ferry service between Astoria and the Washington side of the Columbia River began in 1926. The Oregon Department of Transportation purchased the ferry service in 1946. This ferry service did not operate during inclement weather and the half-hour travel time caused delays. In order to allow faster and more reliable crossings near the mouth of the river, a bridge was planned. The bridge was built jointly by the Oregon Department of Transportation and Washington State Department of Transportation. Construction on the structure began on November 5, 1962, and the concrete piers were cast at Tongue Point, upriver. The steel structure was built in segments at Vancouver, Washington, upriver, then barged downstream where hydraulic jacks lifted them into place. The bridge opened to traffic on July 29, 1966, marking the completion of U.S. Route 101 and becoming the seventh major bridge built by Oregon in the 1950s–1960s; ferry service ended the night before. On August 27, 1966, Governors Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Dan Evans of Washington dedicated the bridge by cutting a ceremonial ribbon. The four-day ceremony was celebrated by 30,000 attendees who participated in parades, drives, and a marathon boat race from Portland to Astoria. The cost of the project was $24 million, equivalent to $ million in dollars, and was paid for by tolls that were removed on December 24, 1993, more than two years early. Details The bridge is in length and carries one lane of traffic in each direction. The cantilever-span section, which is closest to the Oregon side, is long, and its main (central) span measures . It was built to withstand wind gusts and river water speeds of . As of 2004, an average of 7,100 vehicles per day used the Astoria–Megler Bridge. Designed by William Adair Bugge construction of the cantilever truss bridge was completed by the DeLong Corporation, the American Bridge Company, and Pomeroy Gerwick. The south end is at beside what used to be the toll plaza, at the end of a inclined ramp which forms a spiral bridge, going through a full 360-degree loop while gaining elevation over land to provide almost of clearance over the shipping channel (similarly to the Lincoln Tunnel Helix in Weehawken, New Jersey). The north end is at and connects directly to SR 401 at an at-grade intersection. Since most of the northern portion of the bridge is over shallow, non-navigable water, it is low to the water. Repainting the bridge was