Twists, Turns of Construction History of Astoria-Megler Bridge, Longest Oregon Coast Landmark

Published 7/31/24 at 6:25 a.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Astoria, Oregon) – This week quietly saw a bit of a landmark in Oregon coast history: the Astoria-Megler Bridge got a little further into middle age. It was on July 29, 1966 the bridge was opened, albeit rather unofficially. The dedication and official opening happened August 27, but local traffic just could not wait. So the bridge technically turned 58 this week. (Above: the bridge in the '90s)

Creating, constructing and history of the Astoria-Megler Bridge have all managed to have their dramatic moments.

For almost the first 100 years of Astoria, the little fort-turned-commerce hub relied on boats to get across to the other side of the Columbia River. Then in 1921, ferries started making the run. That was often no picnic, either, and there is some newspaper documentation of ferries getting grounded by low tides en route. As traffic along the Oregon coast and Washington coast picked up, the years leading up to the completion of the bridge saw the wait for ferries skyrocket to four hours sometimes. Astoria-Megler Bridge Facts, Virtual Tour

Astoria's Senator Dan Theil spearheaded getting legislation through to create the bridge in '61, though some called it a “bridge to nowhere” because of where it ended up on the Washington coast. Then it was Mark O. Hatfield who broke ground on the project on August 6, 1962. Estimated completion date: the middle of '65. The DeLong Corporation of NY was awarded the $7.8 million contracting job. Things took an interesting turn with that.

Funding came from both Washington State and Oregon.

In July of 1963, the history of the Astoria-Megler Bridge's construction entered a new, second phase, with the 22 piers that hold up the span still be placed. The ramp on the Astoria side was getting started, but a lumber strike delayed some of that work as not enough wood had been found to do what is termed the “false work” that holds up the ramp. That delay was not long, however.

In September of that year, officials almost changed the name to honor explorer Robert Gray – a twist in the bridge's history. The Joint Legislative Committee on Highways from both states proposed the bridge not be called Astoria-Megler (which it had already had been referred to as), but instead the Robert Gray Memorial Bridge. The Daughters of the American Revolution had suggested that, and a democratic Senator from South Bend called for a resolution to be considered.

History shows that clearly never solidified.

In April of '64, the State Highway Commission of Oregon canceled the DeLong company's contract, citing a lawsuit in which the company claimed Oregon had provided incorrect specs, resulting in delays. DeLong said the state had made “faulty test borings in the river bed and that water had scoured beneath the footings to Pier 169 in the middle of the river,” according to the Corvallis Gazette-Times on April 7, '64. This was only a year before the historic Astoria-Megler Bridge was set to be done. At that time, the Highway Department could no longer give a completion date.

Constructing the bridge / Clatsop County Historical Society

By at least July of that year, work had definitely resumed – and apparently by the Raymond International Corp. A July 14 article in the Capital Journal shows members of the Oregon Highway Commission inspecting the work and now calling the Astoria-Megler Bridge a “$24 million-dollar project.” The towers for the bridge rose 16 stories above the waters of the Oregon / Washington coast, created by U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division.

The Raymond company got itself an extension to finish the bridge at one point.

November of '64 saw high winds set a 345-foot crane wandering off into the Columbia River. Newspaper coverage on November 28 said “American Bridge Division work crews were off duty for the Thanksgiving holiday at the time.”

The Knappton Towboat Co. sent out three tugs to rescue the wayward crane, yanking it out of a pile of logs in the river. Luckily, it wasn't really needed for awhile so it sat at Tongue Point until early in '65.

Constructing the bridge as the Youngs Bay Bridge opens / Clatsop County Historical Society

July 29, 1966 saw the opening of the Astoria-Megler Bridge and construction almost finished. Some took the ferry to the other side the day before and spent the night, just so they could be among the first going over the nation's longest continuous truss bridge. Victor Watson of Astoria was the first to pay the $1.50 toll.

Oh yeah, that was a big part of this bridge until 1993: it was a toll bridge in order to fund its creation. Nearly 30 years later that was paid off.

Constructing the bridge / Clatsop County Historical Society

Ferry traffic was under quite a strain that summer because of low tides, so Oregon officials opened the bridge early. On that first day in '66, pilot cars led traffic both ways, and ferryboats still ran as well. The bridge reportedly outpaced the boats for traffic by a long shot. In fact, by late morning some 400 had already crossed the bridge.

It was officially dedicated almost a month later.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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