The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge in the Columbia River Gorge was closed in both directions due to maintenance issues for about five hours on Friday, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The Hood River Bridge connects state Highway 14 in Washington and Interstate 84 in Oregon about 70 miles east of Vancouver. Both the Oregon Department of Transportation and WSDOT crews worked on what WSDOT called a malfunction on X.
Travelers were told to expect long delays or find alternative routes about 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. WSDOT said the bridge reopened shortly after noon. The closest alternate crossings include the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks, Ore., or The Dalles Bridge between The Dalles on the Oregon side and Dallesport in Washington.
Originally built to transport cattle, horse-drawn carriages and automobiles, the narrow bridge is seismically deficient. The grated deck two-lane bridge’s speed limit has been lowered to 15 miles per hour.
