The Dalles Bridge

{{Short description|Highway bridge over the Columbia River near The Dalles, Oregon, U.S.}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox bridge | name = The Dalles Bridge | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image_upright = | image = TheDallesBridgeNorth.jpg | alt = | caption = West side of The Dalles Bridge, as viewed from the north shore of the Columbia River, January 2008 | coordinates={{coord|45.610136|N|121.139099|W|display=inline,title|name=The Dalles Bridge}} | os_grid_reference = | carries = {{jct|country=USA|US|197}} | crosses = Columbia River | locale = The Oregon-Washington state line (between The Dalles, Oregon and Dallesport, Washington) | official_name = | other_name = | named_for = The city of The Dalles | owner = | maint = Oregon Department of Transportation<ref name="wsdot"/> | heritage = | id = 06635 004 00077 | id_type = NBI number | website = | preceded = Oregon Trunk Rail Bridge | followed = Hood River Bridge | design = Cantilever truss | material = Steel | material1 = | material2 = | length = {{convert|3339|ft|m}} | width = | height = | depth = | traversable = Yes | towpath = | mainspan = {{convert|576|ft|m}} | number_spans = 33 sub-spans | piers_in_water = | load = | clearance_above = | clearance_below = | lanes = | life = | architect = | designer = | contracted_designer = | winner = | engineering = | builder = | fabricator = | begin = | complete = | cost = $2.4 million<ref name="historylink"/> | open = December 18, 1953<ref name="historylink"/> | inaugurated = | rebuilt = | collapsed = | closed = | replaces = Ferry service | replaced_by = | traffic = nearly 8,400<ref name="wsdot"/> | toll = | map_type = | map_relief = | map_dot_label = | map_image = | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = }}

'''The Dalles Bridge''' is a bridge on U.S. Route 197 (US 197) that spans the Columbia River in the United States between The Dalles, Oregon and Dallesport, Washington.<ref>{{gnis|type=retired|1127960|The Dalles Bridge}} (for Oregon state)</ref><ref>{{gnis|type=retired|1508965|The Dalles Bridge}} (for Washington state)</ref><ref name="historylink">{{cite web|url=https://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7804|title=The Dalles Bridge spanning the Columbia River is completed on December 18, 1953|last=Long|first=Priscilla|website=historylink.org|date=June 12, 2006|access-date=April 2, 2017}}</ref>

==Description==

The steel cantilever truss bridge is located just downstream from The Dalles Dam.<ref name="historylink"/> Although the bridge reaches into the state of Washington, it is maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The average daily traffic on the bridge (US 197) is nearly 8,400.<ref name="wsdot">{{cite web|url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Bridge/Reporting/BorderBridges.htm|title=Border Bridges|website=wsdot.wa.gov|publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation|access-date=April 2, 2017|archive-date=September 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923160048/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Bridge/Reporting/BorderBridges.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> US 197 connects Washington State Route 14, a few miles to the north of the bridge, with Interstate 84 and US 30, both just south of the bridge, and with U.S. Route 97, about {{convert|67|mi|km|disp=sqbr}} to the south.

==History== [[File:The Dalles Bridge 2012.jpg|thumb|left|West side of The Dalles Bridge, as viewed from the southern shore of the Columbia River]]

Ferry service operations began at the site in 1854, but just over a decade later, in 1865, plans for a bridge began. However, it took about another 85 years and the construction of The Dalles Dam before the bridge was finally built. Although the bridge was built in connection with the dam, the bridge opened December 18, 1953, but the dam was not completed until 1957. Due to issues with the dam, the bridge had to be redesigned as a longer one and the location moved slightly farther downstream than originally planned. Notwithstanding, the already fabricated steel components (for the original bridge design) were successfully modified and used in the newly designed bridge. The cost of construction was $2.4 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|2.4|1853|r=2}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}}).

The bridge had a toll from its opening until November 1, 1974, when the bridge's construction bond (which had been issued by Wasco County in Oregon) was paid off.<ref name="historylink"/>

==References== {{reflist|22em}}

==Further reading== {{cite book|title=Spanning Washington: Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State|last1=Holstine|first1=Craig|last2=Hobbs|first2=Richard|publisher=Washington State University Press|location=Pullman, Washington|year=2005|pages=105–107}}

==External links== {{commons category|The Dalles Bridge}} * [https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Bridge/Reporting/BorderBridges.htm Border Bridges: US197 Dalles Bridge (ODOT)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923160048/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Bridge/Reporting/BorderBridges.htm |date=September 23, 2017 }} (on official webpage of Washington State Department of Transportation) * {{YouTube|id=7GBrme1SF7I|title=Crossing the Dalles bridge}} * [https://anewlifewandering.com/2014/08/18/breathtaking-scenery-at-the-dalles-oregon-bridge-and-dam/ Breathtaking Scenery at the Dalles, Oregon Bridge and Dam] (on anewlifewandering.com) * [https://bridgehunter.com/or/wasco/the-dalles/ The Dalles Bridge] (on bridgehunter.com) * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111030163230/http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/the_dalles_bridge.html The Dalles Bridge and Ferry]}} (on columbiariverimages.com)

{{Crossings navbox | structure = Crossings | place = Columbia River | bridge = The Dalles Bridge | bridge signs = 25px | upstream = The Dalles Dam | upstream signs = | downstream = Hood River Bridge | downstream signs = }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalles Bridge, The}} Category:Road bridges in Washington (state) Category:Columbia River Gorge Category:Former toll bridges in Oregon Category:Former toll bridges in Washington (state) Category:Bridges completed in 1953 Category:Buildings and structures in The Dalles, Oregon Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Wasco County, Oregon Category:Bridges over the Columbia River Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Klickitat County, Washington Category:Road bridges in Oregon Category:U.S. Route 97 Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Category:1953 establishments in Oregon Category:1953 establishments in Washington (state) Category:Steel bridges in the United States Category:Cantilever bridges in the United States Category:Truss bridges in the United States