About the project
The new bridge
The new bridge design concept
The new bridge design features bike and pedestrian facilities, a look out and traffic shoulders.
Roundabout on the Washington State side of the bridge.
A new bridge will support a thriving economy and livable communities. The new bridge design will address problems with river navigation, vehicle travel, pedestrian and bicycle connections, transit access, and safety.
The design is a modern, wide, concrete bridge with one 12-foot lane in each direction with 8-foot shoulders. It will also include a 12-foot walking and biking path on its west side. It will accommodate all anticipated heavy loads and will have a 45 mph speed limit to safely blend with existing interchanges on both sides of the river.
It will be located slightly downstream from the existing bridge; however, the approaches on both sides of the river will be close to where they are now.
New bridge benefits
Wider lanes. Regulation lane widths with shoulders facilitate safe flow of traffic at highway speed with separated bike and pedestrian access.
Safer navigation. The new bridge will provide more space for barges to more easily navigate underneath the bridge.
Seismically resilient. Built to modern seismic standards, the new bridge will be a durable connection for the Pacific Northwest.
Reduced maintenance cost. Modern design and materials will reduce maintenance costs over the lifespan of the new bridge.
Environmental benefits. A storm water collection system will eliminate direct runoff from vehicles into the Columbia River.
Where we are now and next steps
The draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) has been prepared, and the project team expects a Record of Decision (ROD) to be issued by FHWA in 2025. The project is moving forward with securing funding, design, and geotechnical testing to understand the site conditions underground. The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority was established on July 1, 2023, and now oversees the bridge replacement project.
Cost & Funding
The bridge is estimated to cost $1.12 billion. The project funding plan includes a mix of federal, state, and local contributions.
Currently, the project has secured about $375 million in funding. Out of that, Washington State has committed $125 million, and Oregon has pledged $20 million. The project has secured about $222 million in federal funding, including a $200 million grant through the federal INFRA (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects) program.
Local funding for the project will come from tolls, backed by a federal TIFIA loan. TIFIA loans are low-interest loans from the federal government, paid back by user fees. In 2023, tolls for the existing bridge increased, with all new revenue from that increase put into a restricted fund to be used only for the new bridge.
Bridge Owner
The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority oversees the planning, financing, design and construction of the new Hood River-White Salmon Bridge.
Following construction, the Authority will control operations, maintenance and toll-setting for the new bridge. The Authority is governed by a board of twelve commissioners, with Klickitat County and Hood River County appointing six members each.
The existing bridge is owned, operated, and maintained by the Port of Hood River. The port has no decision rights for the new bridge.