A longer version of this story originally appeared in the Washington State Standard.
The Oregon Legislature approved matching funds last week for Washington’s $125 million commitment to replace the 100-year-old Hood River-White Salmon Bridge.
Combined, the state funding covers about a quarter of the project’s estimated $1.12 billion cost.
“This project strengthens our entire region’s foundation for growth and prosperity. This isn’t just about new steel and concrete — we’re literally rebuilding the backbone of our communities,” Oregon state Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, said Thursday in a joint news release with Washington state Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima.
“The combined funding between our two states puts us in a stronger position when we approach the federal government for additional dollars to help pay for the bridge project,” King said.
The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority also has an outstanding $532 million request for funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bridge Investment Program.
The current proposal is to replace the existing bridge, which is narrow and has steel decking, with a structure designed to meet modern traffic demands and safety standards.
Design on the new bridge is expected to begin in September, with the opening targeted for 2030.
The existing Hood River-White Salmon Bridge was built in 1924. It spans the Columbia River between Interstate 84 in Oregon and State Route 14 in Washington, connecting the communities of Hood River on the Oregon side and White Salmon and Bingen in Washington.
The Port of Hood River, which manages the structure, reports that the bridge is a safety hazard for commuters and slows the movement of goods through the Columbia River Gorge.
While Port of Hood River officials say the bridge is “functionally obsolete” and cannot adequately accommodate large trucks, it is still a primary freight route listed on the National Highway System and is frequently used by trucks transporting fruit, wood products, locally manufactured unmanned aerial vehicles, and other cargo.
And even though the Port of Hood River says the bridge is “one of the most challenging bridges on the Columbia River Gorge for barge operators,” barges frequently travel past it.
Earlier this year, the Washington Legislature approved $10 million in project funding for the 2025-27 biennium and $40 million in the 2027-29 biennium as part of its transportation budget. Washington previously promised $75 million in 2023.
The legislation approved in Oregon added $45 million of lottery funds in the 2025-27 biennium, $30 million for the 2027-29 biennium and $30 million for the 2029-31 biennium, for a total of $105 million over six years.
Oregon previously allocated $20 million in lottery funds to the project in 2023.
Other funding sources include a $200 million grant from the federal Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program and $105 million through a federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation loan that will be repaid with tolling revenue.
Tolls for the existing bridge increased in 2023 from $2 to $3.50 for cash customers and $1 to $1.75 for those with a prepaid Breezeby account. All new revenue from that increase was put into a restricted fund to be used only for the new bridge.
The Washington State Standard originally published this story on July 7, 2025. Cascade PBS has edited this story for length.
