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Bridge of the Gods

Hood River County, Oregon, and Skamania County, Washington
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Photos 

Bridge of the Gods

July 27, 2008

Photo taken by Michael Goff in July 2008

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Video 

Builders Of Bridges - 1928 Bridge Construction Educational Documentary

Bridge construction over the Columbia River during the late 1920's. The massive steel bridge linked the States of Washington and Oregon.

Video courtesy of Ella73TV2 on YouTube

Play video on YouTube

Map 

Street Views 

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts 

Overview
Cantilevered through truss bridge over Columbia River on Private Toll Br in Cascade Locks
Location
Cascade Locks, Hood River County, Oregon, and Skamania County, Washington
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1926; Raised 1940
Builders
- Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co. of Seattle, Washington (Contractor)
- Wauna Toll Bridge Co. (Desginer/Toll Bridge Company)
Design
Constructed in 1926 the Bridge of the Gods takes it name from a Native American myth describing a large natural rock bridge over the Columbia River at the bridge site.
The bridge was originally 1,127-feet long but was lengthened to 1,856-feet and raised in conjunction with the construction of Bonneville Dam downstream from the site. The bridge is a fine example of cantilever technology in Oregon as well as a major crossing of the Columbia River.
(Historical Highway Bridges of Oregon - 1989)
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 706.0 ft.
Total length: 1,856.0 ft.
Deck width: 22.0 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 27.0 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+45.66222, -121.90111   (decimal degrees)
45°39'44" N, 121°54'04" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
10/585605/5057106 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Bonneville Dam
Inventory numbers
OR 02592 (Oregon Dept. of Transportation structure number)
BH 36607 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 05/2015)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 23.7 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2010)
5,208

Categories 

Built 1926 (645)
Built during 1920s (8,699)
Cantilevered (290)
Cantilevered truss (246)
Cascade Locks, Oregon (2)
Columbia River (35)
Functionally obsolete (7,914)
Haunched steel stringer (22)
Have street view (21,724)
Hood River County, Oregon (14)
NR-eligible (3,966)
Open (36,241)
Oregon (864)
Owned by bridge authority (160)
 Pin-connected (3,093)
Pratt through truss (4,555)
Pratt truss (7,945)
Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co. (8)
Riveted (1,842)
Skamania County, Washington (30)
Span length 500-1000 feet (378)
State line crossing (724)
Through truss (12,827)
Toll (129)
Total length 1000-2500 feet (1,642)
Truss (29,321)
Washington (1,161)
Wauna Toll Bridge Co. (1)

Update Log 

  • April 18, 2017: New photo from Dave Cox
  • October 11, 2014: New photos from Royce and Bobette Haley
  • April 3, 2014: New photos from Mike Goff
  • July 30, 2013: Updated by Dave King: Added link
  • April 24, 2013: New video from Mike Goff
  • January 18, 2012: New photos from Kelly Smith
  • April 2, 2011: New photo from Garrett Boon
  • September 19, 2010: New photos from Doug Kerr
  • April 25, 2010: New Street View added by Nathan Holth
  • December 3, 2008: Updated by Michael Goff
  • July 28, 2008: New photos from Michael Goff
  • May 8, 2008: Added by David B. Haun

Related Bridges 

Sources 

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Comments 

Bridge of the Gods
Posted October 21, 2014, by Nathan Holth (webmaster [at] historicbridges [dot] org)

Whoever shot these photos was speeding, according to the sign!

Based on the photos at Bridgehunter you might not realize this, but you can walk on this bridge, and if you have an appreciation for the details of a historic bridge it is well worth it. There is a small parking lot on the Washington end of the bridge. Park there and walk. I did a complete walkthrough photo-documentation of this bridge which will eventually be added to HistoricBridges.org.

Bridge of the Gods
Posted October 21, 2014, by Mike Goff (michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Glad to see someone has finally devoted the time to getting good shots of this giant truss. Nice photo documentation!

Good work Royce!

Bridge of the Gods
Posted April 24, 2010, by molly Hill (birdgurl97 [at] hotmail [dot] com)

WOW!! what an interesting structure!! I don't live anywhere near the pacific northwest (midwest actually) but "bridge of the gods" can also be taken as a compliment to the beautiful complexity of this span...