Passage IV

Building and Rebuilding " the King of Roads"

[1]

Separating Oregon from Washington, the Columbia River Gorge is eighty-five miles of flowing water, there are tree-covered bluffs, and roaring waterfalls. These striking features daunted would-be road builders until 1913. That year, Samuel Hill and Samuel Lancaster, a businessman and an engineer, respectively, began constructing a road through the gorge to connect the towns along the river. [A] Their design went beyond practicalities it showcased the scenic grandeur of the gorge where the Columbia River is located.

[2]

Featuring seven viaducts and eighteen bridges, the Columbia River Highway was a marvel. [B] Roadside overlooks with benches for sitting by the road offered travelers the chance to take in a view of the river or a waterfall. Guardrails made of local rock lined the route and blurred the distinction between that and environment. [C] Engineers created (53) openings in the side of one tunnel; enabling motorists surrounded by rock to glimpse the river below. Completed in 1922, the highway earned the local nickname "the King of Roads."

[3]

Impressive as it was, the highway was soon outmoded because of increased traffic and larger vehicles. In time, Oregon built a new road along the Columbia, much of the highway was destroyed to make room; other stretches were abandoned. By 1954, only the western third of the original road was still in use, mainly by tourists seeking waterfalls. [D]

[4]

In the 1980s, however, local people's interest in the original highway abounded. In 1981, the National Park Service offered suggestions for restoring parts of the road and repurposing unused sections of it as a trail. Since then, crumbling stone guardrails along the roadside have been repaired. Damaged bridges and viaducts have been rebuilt. Tunnels, now empty and strong, had rubble removed from them. Today, hikers and bikers on the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail experience a site that became a National Historic Landmark in 2000.