Building bridges between people, as we all know by now, is easier said than done. Witness the contentious and expensive Columbia River Crossing project, a years-long exercise in teeth-pulling that already has swallowed up some $130 million.
The project took a leap forward last week, as the governors of Washington and Oregon announced that the bridge to replace the current Interstate 5 span will feature deck truss-style construction, at a cost now estimated to be $3.6 billion.
At times, the endeavor has seemed to be rooted in political wrangling and abject futility. At times, it has seemed to be a money pit — and that’s just for the planning. And while the final product remains years away, it is instructive to consider the history of what is now known as the I-5 bridge.
Thanks to an exhibit at the Clark County Historical Museum — Bridging the Gap: The History of the Interstate Bridge — residents can explore how the primary arterial between Vancouver and Portland came to be. And they can view a reminder that lengthy negotiations over a bridge are not a 21st century invention.
According to the exhibit, the idea for a bridge between the cities began to take root during the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, when “Clarke County Day” at the fair led to long waits for overcrowded ferries.
“Vancouver mayor E.G. Crawford, apparently outraged by the scene, quickly formed a committee to study the possibility of a bridge,” the exhibit reads.
The project progressed until, several years later, Washington Gov. Ernest Lister vetoed legislation to help finance the bridge with state funds. In August 1913, residents of Clark County approved $500,000 in bonds to pay for their half of the bridge, and Multnomah County quickly followed suit. The bridge opened in 1917 at a cost of $1.75 million.
For the record, that $1.75 million in 1913 would be the equivalent of about $38 million today. But that’s beside the point.
From the start, much like today, mass transportation was an issue for the bridge. Automobiles, which still were newfangled, had to share the road with streetcars.
But the biggest déjà vu moment from the Historical Museum exhibit is how the issue of tolls hovered over the construction of the bridge. Beginning in 1917, tolls were 5 cents for each passenger in cars, and 7 cents for each passenger on streetcars.
According to the exhibit: “In 1928, advocates of a toll-free bridge threatened legal action to remove the tolls.” The state legislatures agreed to pay Clark and Multnomah counties to retire the bonds and eliminate tolls. Political strong-arming, apparently, also is not a 21st century invention.
In 1958, a second span was opened to relieve overcrowding on the bridge. Tolls were imposed again in 1960 — beginning at 20 cents per car — and expired when the bonds were retired in 1966.
All of this might simply serve as a reminder that the world used to be a much different place. Or it might simply serve as a reminder that political wrangling is a fact of life when it comes to large public works projects. Either way, the lessons of the I-5 bridge remain relevant.
The Clark County Historical Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and the “Bridging the Gap” exhibit runs through Oct. 29. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, $2 for ages 6-18, and free for children 5 and younger. Some discounted-admission days are available, and more information is at http://www.cchmuseum.org.
