COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY

The 'Columbia River Highway' was built in Oregon along the Columbia River between 1913 and 1922. When the Multnomah County portion was first paved in 1916, it was the first major paved highway in the Pacific Northwest. Once completed, it ran from Astoria to The Dalles, a total of 196 miles. It was one of the routes in the National Auto Trail system and is an All-American Road.
The original highway was promoted by lawyer and entrepreneur Sam Hill and engineer Samuel 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 highway system was officially established in 1926, the highway became the first and then westernmost segment of what became U.S. Route 30. Since then, modern Interstate 84 has been built parallel to the highway, replacing it as the main travel route and resulting in the loss of some of the original sections of road.
Today, the modern Columbia River Highway ('Highway 2') uses I-84 from Portland to east of Boardman, and then U.S. Route 730 northeast to the Washington state line. There is also a 'Lower Columbia River Highway' ('Highway 2W', sometimes 'Highway 92'), using U.S. 30 from Astoria to Portland. Between Troutdale and The Dalles, much of the original highway is part of the 'Historic Columbia River Highway' ('Highway 100') .

Contents

Present-day "Historic Columbia River Highway"

See also

Sources

Present-day "Historic Columbia River Highway"

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, seventy-four miles of the original road—from Troutdale to The Dalles—have been established as the 'Historic Columbia River Highway' (HCRH). Forty miles of the route are open to motor vehicles:

★ The 24 westernmost miles starting in Troutdale (at the eastern edge of urban Portland) provide access to dozens of hiking trails, Crown Point Vista House, and numerous waterfalls such as Multnomah Falls. This section forms a loop with the Mount Hood Scenic Byway.

★ The 16 easternmost miles 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 seven miles between Hood River and Mosier have been open to non-motorized traffic since the late 1990s, passing through the historic Mosier Tunnels.
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 ride on the shoulders of I-84, or the much more dangerous and narrow 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 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".

See also

★ Columbia River Gorge

Sources

★ Historic Columbia River Highway

★ 50th Anniversary Exhibit of the Oregon State Archives

★ Heritage Preservation Services of the National Park Service

★ National Historic Landmark data sheet