Astoria Bridge

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.

Construction on the structure began on November 5, 1962. The concrete piers were cast at Tongue Point, 4 miles (6 km) upriver. The steel structure was built in segments at Vancouver, Washington, 90 miles (145 km) upriver, then barged downstream where hydraulic jacks lifted them into place. On August 27, 1966, with more than 30,000 people in attendance, Governors Mark Hatfield of Oregon and Dan Evans of Washington opened the bridge by cutting a ceremonial ribbon. The cost of the project was $24 million, equivalent to $170 million today, and was paid for by tolls that were removed on December 24, 1993, more than two years early.

The bridge is 21,474 feet (6,545 m) in length and carries one lane of traffic in each direction. The main span is closest to the Oregon side and measures 1,232 feet (376 m) long. The bridge was built to withstand 150 mph (240 km/h) wind gusts and river speeds of 9 mph (14 km/h). As of 2004, an average of 7,100 vehicles per day use the Astoria–Megler Bridge. Designed by William Adair Bugge (July 10, 1900 – November 14, 1992), construction of the cantilever truss bridge was completed by the DeLong Corporation, the American Bridge Company, and Pomeroy Gerwick