Sam Hill Memorial Bridge

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Coordinates: 45°40′34″N 120°50′10″W / 45.67600°N 120.83607°W / 45.67600; -120.83607
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Biggs Rapids Bridge
Looking east from Washington in 2014
Coordinates45°40′34″N 120°50′10″W / 45.67600°N 120.83607°W / 45.67600; -120.83607
Carries US 97
CrossesColumbia River
LocaleBiggs Junction, Oregon
Maryhill, Washington
Official nameSam Hill Memorial Bridge
Maintained byWashington State Department of Transportation[1]
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
Map
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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,[2] the builder of the nearby Maryhill Museum of Art.

Construction on the Biggs Rapids Bridge began on October 3, 1960, and was funded by the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority. It is 2,567 feet (782 m) long, including a 341-foot (104 m) main truss span, and weighs 3,595,000 pounds (1,631,000 kg).[3] The bridge cost $2.4 million to construct and was dedicated in honor of Sam Hill during its opening ceremonies on November 1, 1962.[4][5] It was initially a toll bridge charging $1 per vehicle,[4] but the tolls were removed in February 1975.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] The new deck is expected to last 25 years.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Asset Management: Bridge Assessment Annual Report" (PDF). The Gray Notebook (34). Washington State Department of Transportation: 20. August 20, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "New bridge spanning Columbia River honors region's pioneer roadbuilder". Bend Bulletin. November 2, 1962. p. 4.
  3. ^ "Biggs Rapids Bridge". Washington Highway News. Vol. 10, no. 1. Washington State Department of Highways. October 1962. p. 16. OCLC 29654162. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  4. ^ a b "New span opened". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. November 2, 1962. p. 6A.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Bridge Toll Ends". The Spokesman-Review. February 7, 1975. p. 7.
  7. ^ Preusch, Matthew (January 1, 2007). "Biggs project causes big detour". The Oregonian. p. B1. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  8. ^ "US 97 - Biggs Rapids - Sam Hill Bridge Deck Replacement". WSDOT. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  9. ^ Lester, David (December 9, 2007). "New year will start with detour at US 97 bridge at Biggs". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved January 1, 2008. [dead link]


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