Bridge of the Gods, Steel cantilever bridge in Cascade Locks, Oregon, United States
The Bridge of the Gods is a steel truss cantilever bridge carrying a two-lane road across the Columbia River between Cascade Locks, Oregon, and the Washington shore near Stevenson. Its light gray truss of intersecting triangles and diagonal beams forms a high arched profile, resting on rectangular concrete piers, one at the Oregon end and one in the water. The flat roadway runs along the bottom of the truss with a thin railing. The structure is 1,858 feet (566 m) long and rises at most 41.15 m above the river.
The Wauna Toll Bridge Company completed the bridge in 1926 at a length of 1,127 feet (344 m). After the Bonneville Dam raised river levels, the structure was elevated by 44 feet (13 m) in 1938 and extended to 1,858 feet (566 m). The Columbia River Bridge Company of Spokane bought it in 1953, and the Port of Cascade Locks has owned and operated it since 1961.
The Pacific Crest Trail uses this crossing as its lowest point along the entire route from the Mexican to the Canadian border. Hikers on the long-distance path regularly encounter car traffic here and briefly leave the wilderness of the mountain range.
The crossing connects Interstate 84 on the south side to State Route 14 on the north side and requires a toll fee. Cash and credit cards are accepted at the payment station while pedestrians and cyclists are also allowed to use the structure.
Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St Louis through a turn below the structure in September 1927. The maneuver took place shortly after completion of the crossing and demonstrated the flight clearance above the river.
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