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Lewis and Clark Bridge

Rainier, US

Lewis and Clark Bridge

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 (a distance of about 90 miles (145 km)). At the time of its completion, it had the longest cantileve

r 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 (equivalent to $86 million in 2024 dollars) was recovered by tolls, $1.00 for cars and $0.10 for pedestrians (equivalent to $14.9 for cars and $1.49 for pedestrians in 2024 dollars). 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...

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