The Details
Bridge of the Gods Oregon is a fully paid bridge over the Columbia River. It connects SR-14 in Washington and I-84 in Oregon. The bridge is located 64 kilometers east of Portland, Oregon, and 6 kilometers upriver from Bonneville Dam.
In 1920, the US War Department issued an order to build a bridge. By 1925, only one pier had been built. The entire bridge was built by the Wauna Toll Bridge Company in 1926.
Bridge of the Gods Oregon is operated by Port of Cascade Locks. In addition to cars, pedestrians and cyclists move along the bridge - there are special paths.
Interesting facts about the bridge
The bridge was named after historical and geological features. The Pacific Trail crosses the Columbia River on the Bridge of the Gods Oregon. It is worth noting that the lowest point of the trail is located just on the bridge.
The bridge also carries the scenic 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canada border. Every year, this trail is visited by tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world.
The Bridge of the Gods Oregon gained wide acclaim in 2015 when it was used for the filming of the movie Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon. Popularity contributed to an increase in traffic, and as a result, fares increased. The film “Wild” was created based on the work of the same name by the author Cheryl Strayed. The Bridge of the Gods Oregon is one of the three oldest crossings built across the Columbia River.
In 1953, the Columbia River Bridge Company purchased the bridge for $735,000, and since 1961 it has been owned by Port of Cascade Locks, which bought the Bridge of the Gods Oregon for $950,000 in government bonds.
Technical parameters of the bridge of the Gods Oregon
The original length was 344 m. However, in 1938 the bridge was extended by 13 m due to the increase in river levels after the completion of the Bonneville Dam. Now the length is 566 m. The longest span of the Bridge of the Gods Oregon is 215 m.
