THE GORGE — Delegates from the Hood River – White Salmon Bridge Authority cited key milestones met and funding accomplishments as evidence of progress when they met with Congressional and federal agency staff in Washington, D.C., the week of Sept. 15.
“The trip was a success,” said Eric Wilson, a Klickitat County appointee to the bridge authority. Wilson and Hood River County appointee Kathryn Thomas visited staff to Sens. Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, and Reps. Maxine Dexter (Oregon District 3) and Dan Newhouse (Washington District 4). Rep. Dexter met personally with the delegates.
“The fact is we’ve got great momentum on the project,” Wilson continued, citing state funding commitments fully secured, final design under way, and a long-awaited environmental “Record of Decision” anticipated this fall. “Our Members of Congress know what it takes to make these projects happen and are pleased that we’re moving forward with a path to construction.”
“We’ve demonstrated that we’re good stewards of public money,” Wilson added.
Meetings in the nation’s capital also included staff with the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the White House, and the Build America Bureau, a USDOT liaison with local municipalities seeking federal assistance.
“Some of the meetings were focused on updates and next steps, and with new people in the room, we also had to give overall project background and history,” Thomas noted. “The delegation attempted to set the scene for why a new bridge between Hood River and White Salmon is important to the region and has national impact.”
Not least among those key points is the strain the current bridge places on river traffic. Its limited clearance already creates difficulties for vessels navigating the Columbia, and if the bridge were to fail, commercial navigation serving the Inland Empire and Snake River could be brought to a standstill.
“With two competitive applications out for final construction funding, I am hopeful to be on the path to breaking ground in the next two years,” Thomas added. “I believe our project and the delegation sent to D.C. was well received by the agencies.”
One especially favorable factor, amid the challenges of widespread federal funding cuts, is that the Hood River Bridge Authority has a very narrow, well-defined mission: To build and maintain a new bridge. As such, it does not overlap with policy issues that often confront other local municipalities, where multiple social services are often under fire.
Federal funding includes a $200 million infrastructure grant awarded in January 2024, a pending $532 million request to the federal Bridge Investment Program, and a federal loan to be repaid by future bridge tolls. The core mission of last month’s trip was to support the bridge investment request.
The visit emphasized how timely federal funding will provide the “last dollar” needed for project completion.
“Our Oregon and Washington delegation has played a major role in securing the federal commitments already in place,” said Parkdale resident Mike Fox, who co-chairs the bridge authority with Husum resident Jacob Anderson. “Along with USDOT, their backing has kept this much-needed project moving forward, and we value their continued support as we work to bring it across the finish line.”
Delegates also described how the bridge authority and its design firm, Kiewit Corporation, are emphasizing cost containment, such as modifying initial design concepts to reflect new information gleaned through 2023 core drillings to the river bed. Data from those drillings contributed to a significant increase in the estimated replacement cost, initially estimated at $520 million. The task now is to minimize any further escalation — including inflational impact should federal funding be delayed.
Final design will identify additional savings along the way.
“We’re not taking out any quality, but doing everything we can to save costs,” Fox explained.
Kiewit’s engineers are now proceeding with initial phase of bridge design, which will take into account a limited “in-water” period over the winter of 2027-28 when pier placement can occur without disrupting fisheries.
“One of the key things is to make that in-water window work for you,” Fox noted, in reference to how efficient design can reduce the time needed for pier construction.
In terms of the entire new structure, one important goal will be to obtain “100 percent” design timed to precede or coincide with assurance of federal funding no later than summer 2026. Construction would then commence with in-water work beginning in October 2027.
Thus the strategy for Congressional outreach: That this project will be ready to proceed, on track, on budget — no more surprises — toward completion in 2031, if and when the federal government steps up the plate.
Upcoming bridge activities:
Port of Hood River planned single-lane bridge closures Sept. 29 to Oct. 3, with full closure Thursday, Oct. 2, from 11:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. There may be additional work Oct. 6-10. This will allow installation of monitoring equipment to gather data on existing bridge conditions, such as wind load and vibration. This data will provide a baseline to measure any effects on the bridge during construction of the new span. The current bridge will remain open through construction.
October will also see the arrival of river-borne drilling platforms to conduct new core samplings for pier placement. Information gleaned will augment samplings conducted in 2023.
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