Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement project awarded $200M federal infrastructure grant
From Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project:
By Anna Marum
WHITE SALMON, Wash. – The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority is pleased to announce that the bridge replacement project has been awarded a $200 million grant through the federal INFRA program. The award means the project has more than half of the funding needed, marking a significant milestone toward realizing a 2029 opening date for the new bridge.
The INFRA (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects) program awards competitive grants for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas.
“This funding comes at the perfect time, and will allow us to stay on schedule with building the new bridge,” said Mike Fox, co-chair of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority. “Because our project is shovel-ready within the next 18 months, these funds will ensure we will move beyond design into construction. We are incredibly grateful to our bi-state federal delegation for their unwavering support of this project and helping to deliver this funding for a key interstate connector.”
The project is in the process of selecting a design-build contractor through a competitive process and is on schedule to start construction in late 2025.
The total estimated project cost is $520 million. With the addition of the $200 million INFRA funding, the project now has about $320 million in committed funds through a combination of state and federal grants. Funding will also come from a federal loan backed by toll revenue.
“This bridge is a lifeline for our local communities, so I’m thrilled to see this federal investment in our region,” said Marla Keethler, bridge authority commissioner and mayor of White Salmon. “It shows a commitment to rural sustainability—a new bridge will benefit residents on both sides of the river for generations to come.”
The current bridge that spans the Columbia River between Hood River in Oregon and White Salmon and Bingen in Washington is 100 years old and is reaching the end of its serviceable life. Its narrow lanes and poorly aligned navigation channels pose challenges for drivers and barge operators, respectively, and the bridge requires millions of dollars in annual maintenance.
“This grant puts us one step closer to building a new bridge, which can’t come soon enough for companies like mine,” said Doug Gibson, bridge authority commissioner and CEO of Mount Adams Fruit. “The constant closures for repairs and weight restrictions on the current bridge cost us a lot of time and money, so the new bridge will be an immediate improvement. It will boost our business and the entire agriculture industry out here. I can’t wait to see the new opportunities that come with it.”
While the current Hood River Bridge is owned and operated by the Port of Hood River, a new bi-state agency was formed in July 2023 to oversee the design, construction, long-term operation, and maintenance of the new bridge. This agency, the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority, is governed by a board of six voting commissioners, with Klickitat County and Hood River County appointing three members each.
The board holds hybrid meetings on the second and fourth Monday of every month. The meetings are open to the public. Meeting details are available at hrwsba.gov/meetings.
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About the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project: The existing Hood River-White Salmon Bridge is nearing the end of its serviceable life and needs to be replaced as soon as possible to support the communities and economies on both sides of the river. The new bridge will be funded through a combination of federal grants, state funding from both Oregon and Washington and a federal loan repaid by local tolls. Construction is scheduled to start in late 2025, with the new bridge opening by the end of 2029. Learn more and sign up for updates at hoodriverbridge.org.
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