The Port of Cascade Locks, which owns and operates the historic Bridge of the Gods toll bridge, will consider a rate hike for commercial vehicles, trucks, motorhomes and buses.
The rate increase, to $2 per axle, will be discussed at a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Marine Park Pavilion in Cascade Locks, Ore. The current cost is $1 per axle for most trucks and commercial vehicles.
Passenger cars would continue to pay $1, or 75 cents with a coupon book available at the toll booth or port office.
Temporary weight restrictions were put on the bridge last year after an inspection showed the need for emergency repairs. The port and the Oregon Department of Transportation have since developed a 10-year improvement plan to maintain an 80,000-pound vehicle rating. The work will cost an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 annually.
The steel truss bridge, opened in 1926, links Stevenson and Skamania County to Interstate 84. It is the only span across the Columbia between Interstate 205 and Hood River, Ore.
