Sam Hill Memorial Bridge

The Sam Hill Memorial Bridge, also known as the Biggs Rapids Bridge, is a steel truss bridge in the northwest United States that carries U.S. Route 97 (US 97) across the Columbia River between Biggs Junction in Sherman County, Oregon, and Maryhill in Klickitat County, Washington. It was named in honor of the early bridge proponent Sam Hill,[1] the builder of the nearby Maryhill Museum of Art.

Biggs Rapids Bridge
Looking east from Washington in 2014
Coordinates45.67600°N 120.83607°W / 45.67600; -120.83607
Carries US 97
CrossesColumbia River
LocaleBiggs Junction, Oregon
Maryhill, Washington
Official nameSam Hill Memorial Bridge
Characteristics
Designsteel through-truss
Total length2,567 ft (782 m)
Width26 ft (7.9 m)
Clearance below75 ft (23 m)
History
OpenedNovember 1, 1962
Statistics
Daily traffic5,100
Location

The bridge opened in 1962 on November 1, after two years of construction.[2][3] It was initially a toll bridge,[2] but the tolls were removed in 1975.

The bridge was closed during part of 2007–2008 in order to complete repairs to the deck. Originally the Washington State Department of Transportation planned to replace the entire deck in 2010, but accelerated the project due to rapidly deteriorating roadway.[4] By March 2009 the project was finished at a total cost of project $16 million, split evenly between Oregon and Washington. It included replacing the deck with concrete, installing new railing, improving the drainage systems, and replacing the existing lighting.[5] The new deck is expected to last 25 years.[6]

See also

References
  1. "New bridge spanning Columbia River honors region's pioneer roadbuilder". Bend Bulletin. November 2, 1962. p. 4.
  2. "New span opened". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. November 2, 1962. p. 6A.
  3. Holstine, Craig E. (2005). Spanning Washington: Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State. Washington State University Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 0-87422-281-8.
  4. Preusch, Matthew (January 1, 2007). "Biggs project causes big detour". The Oregonian. p. B1. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  5. "US 97 - Biggs Rapids - Sam Hill Bridge Deck Replacement". WSDOT. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  6. Lester, David (December 9, 2007). "New year will start with detour at US 97 bridge at Biggs". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved January 1, 2008.


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