View source for Historic Columbia River Highway

{{Short description|Highway in Oregon, USA}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox road
|header_type=hist
|state=OR
|type=Hwy
|route=100
|marker_image=[[File:HCRH keystone logo.png|x70px|alt=Historic Columbia River Highway marker]][[File:Historic US 30 (Oregon).svg|x70px|alt=Historic U.S. Route 30 marker]]
|maint=[[Oregon Department of Transportation|ODOT]], [[Oregon Parks and Recreation Department|OPRD]], etc.
|length_mi=74.1
|length_ref=<ref name=inventory>{{cite web |author = Oregon Department of Transportation |author-link = Oregon Department of Transportation |url = http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TDATA/rics/PublicRoadsInventory.shtml |title = Public Road Inventory |publisher = Oregon Department of Transportation |access-date = January 2, 2017 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080224153306/http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TDATA/rics/PublicRoadsInventory.shtml |archive-date = February 24, 2008 |df = mdy-all }}</ref>
|length_round=1
|length_notes=(measured by historic mileposts)
|history=Constructed 1913–1922; bypassed in 1950s; added to [[NRHP]] on December 12, 1983
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a=[[Troutdale, Oregon|Troutdale]]
|junction=[[Bridge of the Gods (modern structure)|Bridge of the Gods]] in [[Cascade Locks, Oregon|Cascade Locks]]<br>{{jct|state=OR|OR|35}} near [[Hood River, Oregon|Hood River]]
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b={{jct|state=OR|US|30}} in [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]]
|embedded= {{infobox NRHP| embed=yes
   | name = Columbia River Highway Historic District
   | nrhp_type = nhld
   | nocat = yes
   | designated_nrhp_type   = May 16, 2000<ref name=nhl-list>{{cite web |author = National Park Service |date = n.d. |title = Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Oregon |url = http://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/or/OR.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160919115759/https://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/or/OR.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = September 19, 2016 |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = June 29, 2014 }}</ref>
   | added =December 12, 1983
   | refnum= 83004168<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a|dateform=mdy|access-date=September 29, 2013}}</ref>
   }}
}}
The '''Historic Columbia River Highway''' is an approximately {{convert|75|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[scenic highway]] in the U.S. state of [[Oregon]] between [[Troutdale, Oregon|Troutdale]] and [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]], built through the [[Columbia River Gorge]] between 1913 and 1922. As the first planned scenic roadway in the United States, it has been recognized in numerous ways, including being listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], being designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the [[U.S. Secretary of the Interior]], being designated as a [[National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]] by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]], and being considered a "destination unto itself"<ref>{{cite web |author = Federal Highway Administration |author-link = Federal Highway Administration |date = n.d. |work = America's Byways |url = http://www.byways.org/press/fact_sheet.html |title = America's Byways Fact Sheet |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = January 2, 2017 }}</ref> as an [[All-American Road]] by the [[U.S. Secretary of Transportation]]. The historic roadway was bypassed by the present [[Columbia River Highway No. 2]] (now [[Interstate 84 (Oregon)|Interstate 84]] [I-84]) from the 1930s to the 1950s, leaving behind the old two-lane road. The road is now mostly owned and maintained by the state through the [[Oregon Department of Transportation]] (ODOT) as the '''Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100''' (still partially marked as [[U.S. Route 30 (Oregon)|U.S. Route 30]] (US&nbsp;30); see [[Oregon highways and routes]]) or the [[Oregon Parks and Recreation Department]] as the '''Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail'''.
<!--When the [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]] portion was first paved in 1916, it was the first major paved [[highway]] in the [[Pacific Northwest]]. I can't find any sources for this-->

The original highway was promoted by lawyer and entrepreneur [[Samuel Hill|Sam Hill]] and engineer [[Samuel C. Lancaster]], to be modeled after the great scenic roads of [[Europe]]. From the very beginning, the roadway was envisioned not just as means of traveling by the then popular [[Model T]], but designed with an elegance that took full advantage of all the natural beauty along the route.

When the [[United States Numbered Highway System]] was officially established in 1926, the highway became the part of US&nbsp;30. Since then, modern I-84 has been built parallel to the highway between [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] and The Dalles, replacing it as the main travel route and resulting in the loss of some of the original sections of road.

==History==

===Planning and construction===
[[File:Columbia River Highway planning painting.png|thumb|Early map of the Columbia River Highway, from ''Good Roads'' magazine, 1916]]
[[File:National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Columbia River Scenic Highway 1984.jpg|thumb|right|National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, found near Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River Scenic Highway]]
The [[Columbia River Gorge]] is the lowest crossing of the [[Cascade Mountains]], carved by the [[Columbia River]] during the Cascades' [[Tectonic uplift|uplift]].<ref>{{cite book |author = Cascades Volcano Observatory |author-link = Cascades Volcano Observatory |url = https://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Washington/ColumbiaRiver/geo_history_gorge.html |title = The Geologic History of the Columbia River Gorge |type = Brochure |publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] |access-date = March 26, 2018 }}</ref> Rafting down the gorge from [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]] was one of the most expensive and dangerous parts of the [[Oregon Trail]], traveled by thousands of [[emigrant]]s to the [[Oregon Territory]], until the [[Barlow Road]] opened in 1846 around the south side of [[Mount Hood]].<ref>{{cite web |department = Whitman Mission NHS: History & Culture |first = Renee |last = Rusler |url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/whmi/educate/ortrtg/1or13.htm |title = Barlow Road |publisher = [[National Park Service]] |date = May 25, 2004 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070125064519/http://www.nps.gov/archive/whmi/educate/ortrtg/1or13.htm |archive-date = January 25, 2007 |access-date = March 26, 2018 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> A wagon road was finally built through the gorge in the 1870s, when [[The Dalles and Sandy Wagon Road]] was constructed along the south shore from The Dalles to the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]] east of Portland. However, this road had steep (20%) [[grade (road)|grade]]s and a crooked and narrow alignment, and it was not until 1882 that the [[Oregon Railway and Navigation Company]] finally opened a water-level route, partially destroying the wagon road. With the onset of the automobile and the [[good roads movement]] of the early 20th century, a road was once again needed, and [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]] began constructing a 20-foot (6 m) roadway with 9% grades, but ran into difficulties relating to the railroad's location. At [[Shellrock Mountain]] to the east, long believed to be an impassable barrier, Governor [[Oswald West]] used [[prison labor]] in 1912 to prove that it was possible to build a road, at least temporarily.<ref>{{cite book |last = Hadlow |first = Robert W. |date = February 4, 2000 |url = http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/HCRH/documents.shtml |title = National Historic Landmark Nomination: Columbia River Highway |type = Report |publisher = [[Oregon Department of Transportation]] |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080327141256/http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/HCRH/documents.shtml |archive-date = March 27, 2008 |df = mdy-all |pages = 57–58 }}</ref>

[[File:America's Great Highway.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|The principal designer, Samuel C. Lancaster, self-published a guide to the highway in 1915.]]
<!--photo of the Maryhill Loops here?-->The eventual highway was primarily designed by [[engineer]] and [[landscape architect]] [[Samuel C. Lancaster]], a lifelong friend of good roads promoter [[Samuel Hill]]. His first contribution to the [[Pacific Northwest]] was as a consultant for [[Seattle, WA|Seattle]]'s [[Olmsted boulevard system]], part of its preparations for the 1909 [[Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition]]. In 1908, the two traveled to Europe for the [[First International Road Congress]], where Hill represented the state of Washington. Hill was especially impressed by [[Switzerland]]'s [[Axenstrasse]], a road built along [[Lake Lucerne]] in 1865 that included a [[windowed tunnel]], and wanted to build a similar scenic highway through the Columbia River Gorge. With Lancaster's help, Hill built the experimental [[Maryhill Loops Road]] from the river east of the gorge up the [[Columbia Hills (Washington)|Columbia Hills]] to his planned [[Quaker]] [[utopian community]] at [[Maryhill, Washington|Maryhill]]. The road was the first [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] road in the state, designed with gradual [[horseshoe curve (road)|horseshoe curve]]s to avoid steep grades. However, Washington's lawmakers denied his request for a cross-state trunk route on the river's north bank, and Hill crossed the river to Oregon, the last of the states in the far [[Western U.S.]] to create a [[List of U.S. state and insular area departments of transportation|highway department]]. With the help of his life-size model at Maryhill, he convinced the state legislature to create the [[State Highway Commission (Oregon)|State Highway Commission]] in 1913, which would work with the [[U.S. county|counties]] to build roads. The [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]] commissioners agreed later that year that the state should design the route to distance it from county [[politics]], and set aside an initial $75,000.<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=47–56, 58–60}}</ref>

[[File:HCRH gorge view.jpg|thumb|The view from [[Crown Point (Oregon)|Crown Point]]]]
In laying out the highway, Lancaster sought not only to create a transportation artery, but to make the gorge's "beautiful waterfalls, canyons, cliffs and mountain domes" accessible to "men from all climes". According to [[locating engineer]] [[John Arthur Elliott]],

{{quote|The ideals sought were not the usual economic features and considerations given the location of a trunk highway. Grades, curvature, distance and even expense were sacrificed to reach some scenic vista or to develop a particularly interesting point. All the natural beauty spots were fixed as control points and the location adjusted to include them. Although the highway would have a commercial value in connecting the Coast country with the eastern areas, no consideration was given the commercial over scenic requirements. The one prevailing idea in the location and construction was to make this highway a great scenic boulevard surpassing all other highways of the world.}}

Lancaster began surveying near the [[Chanticleer Inn]], where Larch Mountain Road, part of Multnomah County's existing road network, began climbing the hills of the gorge. For five months, from September 1913 to January 1914, he laid out a route for about {{convert|21|mi}} to the [[Hood River County, Oregon|Hood River County]] line west of [[Cascade Locks, Oregon|Cascade Locks]]. The alignment generally had a maximum [[grade (road)|grade]] of 5% and [[Radius of curvature (mathematics)|curve radius]] of {{convert|200|ft|m}}, and was wide enough for {{convert|18|ft|m}} of [[macadam]] (later [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]) and two {{convert|3|ft|m|adj=on}} [[gravel]] [[shoulder (road)|shoulder]]s. To accomplish this, Lancaster used curves similar to the road he had designed at Maryhill where the highway descended from [[Crown Point (Oregon)|Crown Point]].<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=46–47, 60–62}}</ref><!--details of the Sandy River area?-->

[[File:HAER HCRH OR-36-H-1.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Multnomah Creek Bridge]]]]
To carry rainwater off the road, Lancaster designed a comprehensive drainage system, including raising the center of the road, installing [[concrete]] [[Curb (road)|curb]]s and [[Street gutter|gutter]]s as on a city street, and taking the road over heavy flows on [[culvert]]s. Eleven larger [[reinforced concrete]] bridges and several full or [[half viaduct]]s were specially designed for the Multnomah County portion of the highway, taking the road over streams or along steep hillsides with a minimum of earthmoving. [[Masonry]] was used for [[retaining wall]]s, which kept the highway from falling off the hillside, and [[guard wall]]s, which kept drivers and pedestrians from falling off the road. At [[Oneonta Bluff]], the highway passed through the first of five tunnels, as the land to the north was taken by the rail line.<!--according to the first biennial report the railroad was moved a bit just to the west, mention that here?--> With the completion of the [[Oneonta Tunnel]] and a number of bridges, the road was open to traffic west of [[Warrendale, Oregon|Warrendale]], near [[Horsetail Falls (Oregon)|Horsetail Falls]], by October 1914.<ref>{{cite news |work = [[Christian Science Monitor]] |title = Wonder Road Opened |date = October 7, 1914 }}{{page needed|date= September 2014}}</ref> In April 1915, Multnomah County voters approved the cost of covering the initial macadam with a patented long-lasting [[bitumen|bitumin]]ous mixture known as [[Warrenite]], which was completed to the county line by the end of the summer.<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=62–64, 71–73}}</ref>

For the section west of the Chanticleer Inn, Multnomah County generally made improvements to existing roads. Base Line Road (Stark Street) stretched east from Portland almost to the Sandy River; the roadway east of Troutdale Road to the river, including the present Sweetbriar Road, was somewhat circuitous. An old wooden [[Pratt truss|Pratt]] [[through truss]] bridge over the Sandy collapsed on April 25, 1914, and its steel replacement was built as part of the Columbia River Highway project. A new extension of Base Line Road, built in 1915, gradually descended the riverbank to the bridge.<ref name=OR-36-B>{{cite web |last = Hadlow |first = Robert W. |date = September 1995 |url = http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0300/or0363/data/or0363.pdf |title = Sandy River Bridge (Stark Street Bridge) |work = [[Historic American Engineering Record]] |location = Washington, DC |publisher = [[Library of Congress]] |access-date = May 9, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605102927/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0300/or0363/data/or0363.pdf |archive-date = June 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Between the river and the inn, existing roads were incorporated into the highway, which bypassed other sections such as Nielson Road and Bell Road. The county built a second approach to the highway in 1916, using the existing [[Sandy Boulevard]] to Troutdale and a 1912 through truss bridge that connected to Woodard Road. A new roadway bypassed Woodard Road's steep grades, following the riverbank to the east end of the 1914 bridge.<ref>{{cite web |last = Hadlow |first = Robert W. |date = September 1995 |url = http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0300/or0362/data/or0362.pdf |title = Sandy River Bridge at Troutdale |work = Historic American Engineering Record |location = Washington, DC |publisher = Library of Congress |access-date = May 9, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605102919/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0300/or0362/data/or0362.pdf |archive-date = June 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite map |author = J.K. Gill Company |author2 = E.P. Noll & Co. |name-list-style = amp |year = 1911 |url = http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps870010-23942.html |title = Map of the State of Oregon |scale = 1: 545,000 |location = Portland, OR |publisher = J.K. Gill Company |via = David Rumsey Map Collection }}</ref> The entire length of the highway in Multnomah County was maintained by the county until January 16, 1930, when the state took over maintenance of the Sandy Boulevard route.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ETA/Documents_Geometronics/ROW-Eng_State-Highway-History.pdf |publisher = Oregon Department of Transportation |author = Salem Headquarters, Right of Way Engineering |date = August 4, 2017 |page = 2{{hyphen}}3 |title = History of State Highways in Oregon  |access-date = March 26, 2018 }}</ref> (Stark Street was never a state-maintained highway,<ref name=OR-36-B/> though for a time it was signed as [[U.S. Route 30 Alternate (Portland, Oregon)|U.S. Route 30 Alternate]].<ref>{{cite map |author = H.M. Gousha Company |author-link = H.M. Gousha Company |year = 1948 |url = https://www.angelfire.com/or3/oroads/roads/us30/alternate/portland.html |title = Portland |scale = Scale not given |publisher = H.M. Gousha Company |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090731233728/http://www.angelfire.com/or3/oroads/roads/us30/alternate/portland.html |archive-date = July 31, 2009 |url-status = live<!--live version no longer loads the map--> }}{{full citation needed|date=January 2018}}</ref>)

[[File:Mitchell Point tunnel (The World's Work).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Mitchell Point Tunnel]]]]
Beyond Multnomah County, [[State Highway Department (Oregon)|State Highway Department]] engineer [[John Arthur Elliott]] surveyed a route along the river through [[Hood River County, Oregon|Hood River County]] in 1913 and 1914, mostly using the 1870s wagon road where available. County voters approved a [[bond issue]] in mid-1914 to pay for construction west of the city of [[Hood River, Oregon|Hood River]], helped by highway promoter [[Simon Benson]]'s purchase of the entire issue and promise to pay any overruns. The most difficult location was at [[Mitchell Point (Oregon)|Mitchell Point]], where the old road included grades of up to 23% to take it over a [[saddle (landform)|saddle]], and the railroad occupied the only available land between the cliff and the river. Elliott solved the problem by building the [[Mitchell Point Tunnel]]—a [[windowed tunnel]] like on Switzerland's Axenstrasse—through the cliff, with a [[viaduct]] on the west approach. Construction began in March 1915, and the Mitchell Point section was opened to traffic in early September, at a cost of about $47,000. To dedicate the completed highway between Portland and Hood River, two ceremonies were held at [[Multnomah Falls]] and [[Crown Point (Oregon)|Crown Point]] on the same day in June 1916.<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=73-77}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gtoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA7 |magazine = Popular Mechanics |date = June 1916 |title = Oregon's Great Highway to Be Dedicated Soon |volume = 25 |issue = 6 |pages = 836–837 |publisher = Hearst Magazines |via = [[Google Books]] }}</ref>

[[File:HAER HCRH OR-36-105.jpg|thumb|The [[Rowena Loops]]]]
Between Hood River and The Dalles, construction was delayed by rugged terrain west of and debate over the best route east of [[Mosier, Oregon|Mosier]]. Elliott considered several options west of Mosier, including a route close to the railroad, which had again taken the best location along the river, and a route over the [[Mosier Hills]], closer to the existing county road (now Old Dalles Drive and Hood River Road). The former, while shorter, would be, in Elliott's words, "passing a section made up of views which would leave a lasting impression on the traveler". Elliott had left the State Highway Department by 1917, when new locating engineer [[Roy A. Klein]] surveyed a third alignment. It was closer to the river than the old county road, yet higher than Elliott's river alignment, in order to avoid closing the rail line during [[Rock blasting|blasting]]. Just after leaving Hood River on a 1918 bridge over the [[Hood River (Oregon)|Hood River]], which had replaced an older wooden [[truss bridge]], the highway climbed via a series of loops, similar to the ones at Crown Point. From there it followed the course of the river, partway up the hillside. Near the east end, the [[Mosier Twin Tunnels]], completed in 1920, carried the road through a portion of the hill; the eastern of the two included two windows, similar to the five at Mitchell Point.<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=74-80}}</ref> Because of its beauty, photographers like [[William Henry Jackson]], [[Benjamin A. Gifford]], [[Arthur Prentiss]] and [[Carleton Watkins]] documented the construction of this highway.

[[File:Dry Canyon Creek Bridge1.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Dry Canyon Creek Bridge]], designed by [[Conde McCullough]]]]
The final piece to The Dalles was laid out by J. H. Scott of the State Highway Department. It followed an inland route, climbing existing county roads to the [[Rowena Crest]], where it used a third set of loops to descend to river level at [[Rowena, Oregon|Rowena]]. There it picked up a former alignment of the [[Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company]] most of the way to The Dalles.<ref>{{cite book |author = Oregon State Highway Commission |author-link = Oregon State Highway Commission |year = 1920 |title = Fourth Biennial Report |type = Report |location = Salem |publisher = Oregon State Highway Commission |page = 396 |quote = It follows the abandoned railroad grade of the O. W. R. & N. Company from Rowena eastward to within {{convert|1.5|mi}} of the west city limits of The Dalles. From this point, the location extends across Chenowith flats to The Dalles city limits.}}</ref><!--it would be very nice to have more details on why the railroad was moved north--> Most of the bridges in Wasco County were designed by [[Conde McCullough]], who would later become famous for his work on [[U.S. Route 101 (Oregon)|U.S. Route 101]], the Oregon Coast Highway. A completion ceremony for the Columbia River Highway was held on June 27, 1922, when Simon Benson symbolically helped pave the final portion near Rowena. By then, the roadway was part of a longer [[Columbia River Highway No. 2|Columbia River Highway]], stretching from [[Astoria, Oregon|Astoria]] on the [[Pacific Ocean]] east to [[Pendleton, Oregon|Pendleton]] as Highway No. 2 in a large network of state highways.<ref>{{Cite map |author=Oregon State Highway Department |year=1922 |map-url=ftp://ftp.odot.state.or.us/ROW_Eng/HistoryHighwaysOregon/BiennialCollectionMaps.pdf |map=Map from Report |title=Fifth Biennial Report |department=Oregon State Highway Department |location=Salem}}</ref> In the State Highway Department's fifth biennial report, published in 1922, it reported that construction costs to date on the Columbia River Highway totaled about $11 million, with the state contributing $7.6 million, the [[federal aid|federal government]] $1.1 million, and the counties $2.3 million ($1.5 million of which was from Multnomah County).<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=81-83}}</ref> In 1926, the [[American Association of State Highway Officials]] designated the road as part of [[U.S. Route 30 (Oregon)|U.S. Route 30]].<ref>{{cite map |author1 = Bureau of Public Roads |author-link = Bureau of Public Roads |author2 = American Association of State Highway Officials |author2-link = American Association of State Highway Officials |date = November 11, 1926 |title = United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials |url = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_System_of_Highways_Adopted_for_Uniform_Marking_by_the_American_Association_of_State_Highway_Officials.jpg |scale = 1:7,000,000 |location = Washington, DC |publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] |oclc = 32889555 |access-date = November 7, 2013 |via = [[Wikimedia Commons]] |name-list-style = amp }}</ref> The first realignment was made by 1935 at the west entrance to The Dalles, where a more direct route along West 2nd Street bypassed the old alignment along West 6th Street, the [[Mill Creek Bridge (The Dalles, Oregon)|Mill Creek Bridge]], and West 3rd Place.<ref>{{cite map |author = United States Geological Survey |year = 1934 |url = http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cgi-bin/pview.exe?CISOROOT=/maps&CISOPTR=503&CISORESTMP=/qbuild/buildplate11.html&CISOVIEWTMP=/qbuild/buildplate12.html&CISOROWS=2&CISOCOLS=5&CISOCLICK=title:subjec:creato:date:type |title = The Dalles |scale = 1:125000 |location = Reston, VA |publisher = United States Geological Survey }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Guzowski |first = Kenneth J. |year = 1990 |url = http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0200/or0295/data/or0295.pdf |title = Mill Creek Bridge |work = Historic American Engineering Record |location = Washington, DC |publisher = Library of Congress |page = 3 |access-date = May 5, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605103827/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0200/or0295/data/or0295.pdf |archive-date = June 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

===Water-level bypass===
[[File:Columbia River Gorge view.jpg|thumb|The new water-level route as seen from [[Crown Point (Oregon)|Crown Point]], looking east]]
Even as construction was ongoing on the east end of the Columbia River Highway, the design had become obsolete, as motorists wanting to get to their destination greatly outnumbered tourists taking a pleasure drive. There were also problems with [[rockfall]], especially west of the [[Mosier Twin Tunnels]]. By 1932, Lancaster proposed a new water-level route, while keeping the old road as a scenic highway. The first such bypass was necessitated by the federal government's creation of [[Bonneville Dam]] on the Columbia River. The dam would flood the railroad, and the highway would need to be moved so the railroad could take its place. The highway's new two-lane alignment, completed in 1937, crossed the old road several times between the community of [[Bonneville, Oregon|Bonneville]] (just east of [[Tanner Creek (Columbia River)|Tanner Creek]]) and [[Cascade Locks, Oregon|Cascade Locks]]. The realignment had the effect of closing the old road to all but the most local of traffic, since the construction of the east portal of the new [[Toothrock Tunnel]], just west of a new bridge over [[Eagle Creek (Multnomah County, Oregon)|Eagle Creek]], had destroyed a section of road on the hillside.<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=8, 84–85}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author = United States Army Corps of Engineers |year = 1939 |url = http://boundless.uoregon.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/wwdl&CISOPTR=190&REC=8 |title = Bonneville Dam aerial photographs (Western Waters Digital Library) |publisher = United States Army Corps of Engineers |access-date = April 30, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718172755/http://boundless.uoregon.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Fwwdl&CISOPTR=190&REC=8 |archive-date = July 18, 2011 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align = left
| image1 = ColumbiaAmericasGreatHighway126.png
| width1 = 132
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = 
| image2 = HAER HCRH OR-36-L-1.jpg
| width2 = 127
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| footer = The [[Oneonta Tunnel]], with the railroad to the north (left image) and after bypassing (right image), the railroad now out of view beyond the trees
}}
By the end of the 1940s, the original cross section of {{convert|18|ft|m}} of pavement and two {{convert|3|ft|m|adj=on}} shoulders had been modified to {{convert|24|ft|m}} of pavement. The Mosier Twin Tunnels were similarly widened from {{convert|8+2/3|to|10|ft}} in each direction in 1938 to accommodate larger trucks,<ref>{{cite web |first1=V.V. |last1=Simonenko |first2=Elaine G. |last2=Pierce |name-list-style=amp |year=1995 |url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAER_HRCH_OR-36_18_of_27.png |title=Mosier Twin Tunnels |work=Historic American Engineering Record |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Library of Congress |via=Wikimedia Commons }}</ref> but this was not enough, and [[traffic signal]]s were later installed at the tunnels to regulate [[one-way traffic]]. A 1948 bypass of the Oneonta Tunnel was made possible by moving the railroad slightly north on [[fill (land)|fill]];<ref>{{harvp|Hadlow|2000|pp=5–7, 38–39, 63, 80}}</ref> the railroad benefited by removing the risk of the thin tunnel wall collapsing onto the track.<ref>{{cite web |first=Robert W. |last=Hadlow |year=1995 |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0300/or0371/data/or0371.pdf |title=Oneonta Tunnel Written Historical and Descriptive Data |work=Historic American Engineering Record |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Library of Congress |page=11 |access-date=May 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605103505/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/or/or0300/or0371/data/or0371.pdf |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Oneonta Tunnel was sealed in 1948 but revealed again fifty-five years later as part of the Historic Columbia River Highway restoration project.
[[File:HAER HCRH OR-36-74.jpg|thumb|[[Eagle Creek Bridge]]]]

More comprehensive bypass planning began by 1941, when the [[State Highway Commission (Oregon)|State Highway Commission]] adopted surveys for the new highway.<ref>{{cite book |author=Oregon Department of Transportation |date=January 2008 |url=ftp://ftp.odot.state.or.us/ROW_Eng/HistoryHighwaysOregon/HSHO.pdf |title=History of State Highways in Oregon |type=Report |location=Salem |publisher=Oregon Department of Transportation }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes |pages= 2–5}}</ref>

===Restoration and current use===

Starting in June 2006, [[Oregon Department of Transportation|the Oregon Department of Transportation]], using about $1.5 million in state and federal money, began restoring the Oneonta Tunnel to its 1920s appearance. The tunnel officially reopened March 21, 2009 for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.<ref>{{cite news |first = Allan |last = Brettman |date = March 22, 2009 |url = http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1237690511326180.xml&coll=7 |title = Columbia Gorge's Oneonta Tunnel Reopens after 60 Years |work = [[The Oregonian]] |location = Portland, OR }}</ref>

The [[Eagle Creek Fire]] swept through the Gorge in September 2017, causing rockslides that closed the historic highway for a year. The highway remained closed between Bridal Veil and Ainsworth State Park until November 23, 2018 for restoration and reconstruction work.<ref>{{cite news |last=Theen |first=Andrew |date=August 2, 2018 |title='Almost continuous' rockslides indefinitely delay Historic Columbia River Highway reopening |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/roadreport/index.ssf/2018/08/almost_continuous_rockslides_i.html |work=The Oregonian |access-date=August 13, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Highway, West Columbia Gorge Trails Reopen after Eagle Creek Fire |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/columbiarivergorge/newsroom}}</ref>

{{anchor|Route description}}<!--- anchor set so links to section previously named "Route description" continue to work -->

==Route description and historic designations==
[[File:Historic Route 30 Sign.jpeg|thumb|left|upright|Historic Route 30 Sign]]
{{HCRH map}}
Although the city of [[Troutdale, Oregon|Troutdale]] has named the old highway "Columbia River Highway" west to 244th Avenue, where it is cut by [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|I-84]],<ref>{{cite map |author = City of Troutdale |date = January 2008 |url = http://gis.ci.troutdale.or.us/pdf/St_Atlas.pdf |format = PDF |title = Street Index Map |scale = Scale not given |publisher = City of Troutdale |pages = 1–2 |sections = H3–H6, H6–G7 |access-date = March 26, 2018 |archive-date = August 17, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110817063232/http://gis.ci.troutdale.or.us/pdf/St_Atlas.pdf |url-status = dead }}</ref> signs for the scenic byway begin at exit 17 of I-84, and point south on Graham Road to the west end of downtown Troutdale.<ref>[[Google Maps Street View]], accessed May 2008{{full citation needed|date=September 2014}}</ref> Modern [[milepoint]] zero of the Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100 is located at the west end of the [[Sandy River (Oregon)|Sandy River]] bridge, historic milepost 14.2.<ref name=inventory/>

<span id="Sandy River Bridge"></span>
<span id="Stark Street Bridge"></span>
<span id="Chanticleer Point"></span>
<span id="Crown Point Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Figure-Eight Loops"></span>
<span id="Latourell Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Shepperd's Dell Bridge"></span>
<span id="Bridal Veil Falls Bridge"></span>
<span id="Wahkeena Falls Bridge"></span>
<span id="West Multnomah Falls Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Multnomah Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="East Multnomah Falls Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Oneonta Gorge Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Oneonta Tunnel"></span>
<span id="Horsetail Falls Bridge"></span>
<span id="McCord Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Moffett Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Tanner Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Toothrock Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Toothrock Tunnel"></span>
<span id="Eagle Creek Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Eagle Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Ruckel Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Herman Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Gorton Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Shellrock Mountain"></span>
<span id="Lindsey Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Warren Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Viento Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Mitchell Point Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Mitchell Point Tunnel"></span>
<span id="Ruthton Point Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Phelps Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Hood River Bridge"></span>
<span id="Hood River Loops"></span>
<span id="Rock Slide Viaduct"></span>
<span id="Mosier Twin Tunnels"></span>
<span id="Rock Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Mosier Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Memaloose Overlook"></span>
<span id="Rowena Dell Bridge"></span>
<span id="Dry Canyon Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Rowena Crest"></span>
<span id="Rowena Loops"></span>
<span id="Chenoweth Creek Bridge"></span>
<span id="Mill Creek Bridge"></span>

Modern highways, including I-84, and other developments have resulted in the abandonment of major sections of the historic original highway. In the interest of [[tourism]] and historical preservation, {{convert|74|mi|km}} of the original road—from Troutdale to The Dalles—have been established as the '''Historic Columbia River Highway''' (HCRH). {{convert|40|mi|km|spell=In}} of the route are open to motor vehicles:
*The {{convert|24|mi|km|adj=pre| westernmost}} miles starting in [[Troutdale, Oregon|Troutdale]] (at the eastern edge of urban [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]) provide access to dozens of hiking trails, [[Crown Point (Oregon)|Crown Point]] Vista House, and numerous [[waterfall]]s such as [[Multnomah Falls]]. This section forms a loop with the [[Mount Hood Scenic Byway]].
*The {{convert|16|mi|km|adj=pre| easternmost}} ending in The Dalles.

The remaining portions of the HCRH designated for non-motorized use are now known as the [[Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail]]. These are being developed as money becomes available. Roughly {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} between [[Hood River, Oregon|Hood River]] and [[Mosier, Oregon|Mosier]] have been open to non-motorized traffic since 2000, passing through the historic Mosier Tunnels.<ref>{{cite news |first = Web |last = Ruble |date = August 21, 1989 |title = Reopening Mosier Tunnels Eyed for Foot, Bicycle Traffic |work = The Oregonian |location = Portland, OR |url = http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB085A23109B664&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D10F2CADB4B24C0 |via = NewsBank }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first = Ted |last = Mahar |date = July 20, 2000 |title = The Historic Columbia River Highway Roadside Renovation |work = The Oregonian |location = Portland, OR |url = http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:ORGB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB08C7489E9BB51&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D10F2CADB4B24C0 |via = NewsBank }}</ref>

Once restoration is complete, the highway will serve as a scenic and alternative bicycle route for I-84 and US 30 between The Dalles and Portland. Currently, cyclists wishing to travel between these two towns must ride on the shoulders of I-84 for much of the distance, or the much more dangerous and narrow [[State Route 14 (Washington)|State Route 14]] on the Washington side of the river.

The Columbia River Highway is the nation's oldest scenic highway. In 1984 it was recognized as a [[List of historic civil engineering landmarks#United States landmarks|National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]] by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]]. In 2000 it was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the [[National Park Service]] as "an outstanding example of modern highway development".

{{anchor|Columbia River Highway Historic District}}The '''Columbia River Highway Historic District''' was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1983.  It includes 38 [[contributing structures]] on {{convert|529|acre|km2}}.<ref name=nris/>

{{-}}

==See also==
{{portal|Oregon|U.S. Roads}}
*[[Columbia River Gorge]]
*[[List of National Historic Landmarks in Oregon]]
*[[List of Registered Historic Places in Oregon]]
{{-}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{HAER |survey=OR-36 |id=or0386 |title=Historic Columbia River Highway, Troutdale, Multnomah County, OR |photos=112 |dwgs=27 |data=3 |cap=11}}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120306064957/http://www.columbiariverhighway.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?cat=2&album=search&search=multnomah_falls Historic Columbia River Highway]}}: History, Features, Historic Photos and Postcards, Hiking, Camping, Cycling
*{{Oregon Encyclopedia|columbia_river_highway|Columbia River Highway|Hadlow, Robert}}
*[https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/columbia-river-highway/Pages/default.aspx 50th Anniversary Exhibit] of the [[Oregon State Archives]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030813221506/http://www2.cr.nps.gov/hli/currents/columbia/ Heritage Preservation Services] of the National Park Service
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070301174240/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=419295320&ResourceType=District National Historic Landmark data sheet]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080217010732/http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2141/ National Scenic Byways Program page]
*[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/HCRH/ Oregon Department of Transportation page]
*[http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_155.php Oregon Parks and Recreation state trail page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070714074200/http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/hli/currents/columbia/ Heritage Preservation Services], National Park Service
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20011114232914/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/flex/cs03.htm Flexibility in Highway Design], Federal Highway Administration
*[http://www.hcrh.org/ Friends of the Historic Columbia River Highway]
*[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ETA/Publications/State-Hwy-Proposed-1917.pdf (Historical) Oregon State Highway System Map {{hyphen}} Oregon State Highway Commission]  (as adopted: November 27, 1917)
*[http://www.oregon.gov/odot/data/pages/maps.aspx Official State Map of Oregon] {{hyphen}}  [[Oregon Department of Transportation|ODOT]] {{hyphen}} Transportation Development Division {{hyphen}} Geographic Information Services Unit
*[http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ETA/Documents_Geometronics/ROW-Eng_State-Highway-History.pdf History of State Highways in Oregon] {{hyphen}} [[Oregon Department of Transportation|ODOT]] Salem Headquarters, Right of Way Engineering (August 4, 2017)

{{Protected Areas of Oregon}} <!-- If [[Columbia River Highway State Trail]] is created (currently a redirect to here), this tag should be moved there instead. -->

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Historic Columbia River Highway| ]]
[[Category:Auto trails in the United States]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in Oregon]]
[[Category:All-American Roads]]
[[Category:Columbia River Gorge]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 30]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Oregon]]
[[Category:Named state highways in Oregon]]
[[Category:Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah)]]
[[Category:Scenic highways in Oregon]]
[[Category:State parks of Oregon]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Multnomah County, Oregon]]
[[Category:National Forest Scenic Byways]]
[[Category:Transportation in Multnomah County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks]]
[[Category:Transportation in Wasco County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Transportation in Hood River County, Oregon]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Wasco County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Multnomah County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Wasco County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hood River County, Oregon]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hood River County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]