A bridge update, but not Hood River’s

THE GORGE — An historic, deteriorating bridge with narrow, outmoded lanes and frequent traffic closures still provides an important crossing point for Columbia Gorge travelers, and it’s going to be expensive to replace.

But this time, we’re not talking about the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge. Instead, the Stark Street Bridge over the Sandy River, which connects Troutdale with the Historic Columbia River Highway, presents a parallel saga, as described by Multnomah County officials in a March 12 meeting of the Columbia River Historic Highway’s advisory committee. The committee met in Hood River for its first quarterly session of the new year.

Multnomah County is working to replace the Sandy River structure, one of Oregon’s oldest steel truss bridges still in daily use. It was built in 1914 — a decade earlier than the Hood River Bridge, originally providing the only Sandy River crossing on the Historic Highway.

“It’s a critical crossing for Corbett,” said Megan Neill, Multnomah County project manager. “It really connects a lot of important communities in east county.”

With a “sufficiency rating” of 25.4 out of 100 points and only 18 feet wide, the antiquated structure has a 19-ton weight limit and tight turning radius. Unfortunately, truckers relying on GPS don’t always learn this until too late, with at least 36 reported closures since 2017.

Federal environmental review for a new bridge is under way. (Similar review just concluded in November for the new Hood River Bridge, taking more than four years.) Multnomah County officials hope to have a preferred design early next year. It’s too early for a final cost estimate, although $40 million is a likely starting point, according to information presented at the meeting.

And funding is a long way off. “This project is too expensive for our smaller road fund, so we’ll be relying on local, state and federal sources,” Neill said.

In other Columbia River Scenic Highway updates:

• Committee chair Arthur Babitz recognized the Feb. 28 passing of Art Carroll, long-time advocate of the Historic Highway restoration project as well as multiple other recreational and cultural initiatives around the region. Mr. Carroll, 90, was a driving influence behind Hood River’s Indian Creek Trail, the Hood River Parks & Recreation District and the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum in The Dalles. He retired in 2000, having concluded his U.S. Forest Service career as Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area manager.

• A landslide on March 11 closed the Historic Highway between Vista House and Large Mountain Road. It’s a recurring challenge at that site, where repairs concluded last year after another slide. A reopening date is pending.

• Multnomah Lodge renovations are under way, continuing into next year. The lodge is now a century old.

• Repairs to concrete supports and decking are under way on the Historic Highway’s east viaduct leading to Multnomah Falls. Repairs to the west viaduct have already concluded. Work started in February 2024 with estimated cost of $9.2 million, although final cost may be twice that as contractors have determined the extent of deterioration. The project is scheduled to conclude by mid-May.

• Historic Highway trail construction between Perham Creek and Mitchell Point is under way, scheduled for completion late this year. The $5.8 million project will add two new bridges, crossing Perham Creek and Mitchell Creek.

• Final designs are ready for a pedestrian and bike underpass just east of Mitchell Point, which will require freeway lane closures probably beginning late in 2026. This is a quarter-mile trail segment along Mitchell Point Drive, starting at Milepost 60. Currently, there’s a west-bound offramp to access the drive, which provides local access to Mitchell Point via a freeway undercrossing. The new project will build a second undercrossing. Construction will start next spring, with completion scheduled in fall 2028.

• One lane in each direction of Interstate 84 is closed at McCord Creek for bridge replacement. Contractors are currently demolishing the old east-bound freeway bridge. Starting Monday, March 16, a shuttle will be offered to bring hikers and bikers around the construction site. Shuttles will run every half-hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and every hour from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for two months, when the trail reopens. Freeway lane closures will continue through the summer.

• The Gorge Ride is now proposed for June 27 on a new route from Wyeth to Viento. The popular event was canceled last year because of the Rowena wildfire. Investigation and clean-up work at Rowena continues.