Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge

The Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, or I-205 Bridge, is a segmental bridge that spans the Columbia River between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. It carries Interstate 205, a freeway bypass of Portland, Oregon.

Under construction, looking east from the Columbia River around 1980-81
Glenn Jackson Memorial Bridge
Aerial view, looking north
Coordinates45°35′35″N 122°32′55″W
Carries8 lanes of I-205
CrossesColumbia River
LocalePortland, Oregon to
Vancouver, Washington
Characteristics
DesignConcrete segmental bridge
Longest span600 ft (183 m)
Clearance below144 ft (43.9 m)
History
OpenedDecember 15, 1982
Statistics
Daily traffic166,152 (2019)[1]
Location

Planning for the structure began in earnest in 1964 when it was designated as part of the East Portland Freeway (later renamed Veteran's Memorial Freeway), Interstate 205. Construction began in August 1977. In order to avoid disrupting river traffic, the bridge was built one segment at a time. The segments, weighing upwards of 200 tons, were cast 4 miles (6.4 km) downstream and barged into place. The bridge was opened on December 15, 1982.[2][3] The finished project cost was $169.6 million: $155.7 million from Federal funds, $4 million from Washington state funds and $9.9 million from Oregon state funds.[4] Three men died during its construction.[5] The bridge was closed to traffic on May 15, 1983, for a one-day festival named "People's Day", where 125,000 pedestrians crossed the bridge.[6]

It is a twin structure with four lanes in each direction and a 9-foot-wide (2.7 m) bicycle and pedestrian path in between. The bridge is 7,460 ft (2,270 m) long from the Washington side of the river to Government Island and another 3,120 ft (951 m) in length from Government Island to the Oregon side of the river. The main span, near the Washington side, is 600 ft (183 m) long with 144 ft (44 m) of vertical clearance at low river levels. The bridge was named for Glenn Jackson, the chairman of the Oregon State Highway Commission and later the Oregon Economic Development Commission.[7]

The average weekday traffic during 2019 was 166,152 vehicles.[1] In 2020, ODOT and WSDOT began a one-year pilot project to allow C-Tran buses to use the shoulders of I-205 over the bridge in order to bypass congestion.[8]

No vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian access to Government Island is available from the bridge.

Multi-use path

A multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists runs along the center of the bridge. This multi-use path connects to two trailheads at each end of the bridge as well as the I-205 Trail through Portland.[9] The path lacks access to Government Island.

See also

References
  1. "Columbia River Bridges". Southwest Washington Regional Transportation Council. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. Callister, Scotta (December 16, 1982). "Rain fails to faze bridge-crossers". The Oregonian, p. E12.
  3. Seekamp, William (October 14, 2023). "The long, winding road to the Interstate 205 Bridge". The Columbian. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  4. Federal-aid Project No. I-205-7(85)315 Contract 8526; Federal-aid Project No. I-205-7(65)314 Contract 8862; Federal-aid Project No. I-205-7(66)315 Contract 8905; Federal-aid Project No. I-205-7(85)314 Contract 9510; Federal-aid Project No. I-205-7(84)314 Contract 9444; Federal-aid Project No. I-205-1(121)0 Washington Approach Contract
  5. Gregg Herrington (September 24, 2008). "First vehicles cross the Glenn L. Jackson Bridge over the Columbia River on December 15, 1982". HistoryLink. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  6. Ryll, Thomas (December 15, 2002). "I-205: Spanning 20 years". The Columbian. p. A1. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Russell Sadler (February 5, 2005). "A Recent History of Oregon's Citizen Boards and Commissions". West by Northwest. Archived from the original on June 24, 2006. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  8. "I-205: Bus on Shoulder Pilot". Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  9. "I-205 Multi-Use Path". AllTrails. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  • Sharon Wood (2001). The Portland Bridge Book. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society. ISBN 0-87595-211-9.
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