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, and the second-longest in the world.

Lying from the river mouth 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

thumb|left|[[MV Tourist No. 2|Tourist No. 2, a ferry built in 1924, replaced by Tourist III in 1931]]

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. Following construction, the Oregon Department of Transportation became the lead agency responsible for maintenance and operating the structure.

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. and carries one lane of traffic in each direction. The elevated section, which is closest to the Oregon side and composed of three spans, is long, with the cantilevered central main span measuring . It was built to withstand wind gusts and river water speeds of . Designed by William Adair Bugge construction of the cantilever truss bridge was completed by the DeLong Corporation, the American Bridge Company, and Pomeroy Gerwick. A four-year planned paint stripping and repainting project was planned for March 2012 through December 2016.

In 2016, a colony of double-crested cormorants moved from nearby East Sand Island to the bridge, where they began nesting. Their presence caused issues with bridge inspections, as bird droppings and guano covered visual cracks, and nests obscured navigational lights used by ship traffic. The population of cormorants increased to 5,000 breeding pairs in 2020, prompting efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to scare the birds from the bridge and relocate them back to East Sand Island.

Pedestrians

Normally, pedestrians are prohibited on the bridge—only motor vehicles and bicycles are allowed. There is no sidewalk and the shoulders are too narrow for pedestrians adjacent to traffic<!--But bicyclists are fine?-->. However, one day a year—usually in October—the bridge is host to the Great Columbia Crossing. Participants are taken by shuttle to the Washington side, from where they run or walk to the Oregon side on a route across the bridge. Motor traffic is allowed to use only one lane (of two lanes) and is advised to expect delays during the two-hour event. For the first time, during the 2018 event, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced that the bridge would be closed to motor traffic.

The bridge itself is featured prominently in the movies Short Circuit, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, The Goonies, and Sometimes I Think About Dying. It stands in for the doomed fictional Madison Bridge in Irwin Allen's 1979 made-for-TV disaster movie The Night the Bridge Fell Down.

Images

<gallery>

File:Astoria - Megler Bridge in 2009.jpg|View of the bridge from Astoria neighborhood

File:Astoria-Megler Bridge heading north 01.JPG|On the bridge, heading north

File:Astoria-Megler Bridge heading north 02.JPG|On the bridge, heading north

File:Astoria bridge through truss.JPG|Astoria Bridge. Close up view of the through-truss section of the bridge

File:US Route 101 - Astoria-Megler Bridge.jpg|A close up view of the through-truss section of the bridge

File:Astoria bridge flat truss.JPG|A view of the flat, continuous truss section of the bridge

File:Astoria-Megler Bridge, Tony Owens (5351960117).jpg|A workman's view from high on the bridge

File:Washington End of Astoria Megler Bridge.JPG|Washington end of the bridge

File:Astoria-Megler.JPG|A view of the bridge from the Astoria Column

File:Astoria Megler Bridge; Astoria Oregon.jpg|A cargo ship passing under the bridge

File:Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon.JPG|Looking up from beneath the bridge

File:Astoria - Megler Bridge and bulk carriers.jpg|Multiple cargo ships with the bridge in the background

File:Astoria-Megler Bridge 8 25 2024 837PM.jpg|Bridge at twilight

</gallery>

See also

  • List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon
  • List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state)
  • List of bridges on U.S. Route 101 in Oregon

References

  • funbeach.com: Astoria–Megler Bridge
  • oldoregon.com: Astoria–Megler Bridge
  • Great Columbia Crossing