Lewis and Clark Bridge (Columbia River)
The Lewis and Clark Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Columbia River between Longview, Washington, and Rainier, Oregon. It is the only bridge over the Columbia between Astoria and Portland. At the time of its completion, it had the longest cantilever span in the United States.
The bridge was opened on March 29, 1930, as a privately owned bridge named the Longview Bridge. The $5.8 million cost was recovered by tolls, $1.00 for cars and $0.10 for pedestrians. At the time it was the longest and highest cantilever bridge in the United States. The state of Washington purchased the bridge in 1947 and the tolls were removed in 1965 after the bridge was paid for. In 1980, the bridge was rededicated as the Lewis and Clark Bridge in honor of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The deck was replaced in 2003–04 at a cost of $29.2 million.
Due to its width, there are very few bridges over the western portion of the Columbia River, which forms the border of Washington and Oregon. Until the completion of the Astoria-Megler Bridge in 1966, this was the only bridge over the Columbia west of Portland.
The bridge is long with of vertical clearance. The main span is long and the top of the bridge is above the river. It was designed by Joseph Strauss, the engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge.
In 1982, the bridge was entered on the National Register of Historic Places, as the Longview Bridge. A feasibility study commissioned by the Washington State Legislature in 1990 recommended the construction of a second bridge to handle future traffic volume. The Lewis and Clark Bridge was closed for four days in July 2023 to replace a floor beam and install new finger joints; during the closure, which was originally scheduled for eight days, the Wahkiakum County Ferry was used as a detour route for prioritized traffic.