While it’s not the I-5, there’s another bridge spanning the Columbia River that may be in even more need of replacement. Last month, the federal government announced it was awarding $200 million to help pay for the replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon bridge in the Columbia River Gorge. Marla Keethler is the mayor of White Salmon and a commissioner on the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority which was created last July to oversee the bridge replacement efforts. She described the nearly 100-year-old bridge as “a lifeline” to residents and the regional economy, with more than four million crossings made last year. 

But the nearly mile-long bridge has been in need of replacing for decades, with speed reductions and weight limits imposed in recent years to extend its life and defer costly repairs to its metal deck. The estimate for replacing the bridge is estimated at $520 million which the HRWS Bridge Authority says will be paid for through federal and state grants and loans. Mayor Keethler joins us to talk about the status of these efforts to replace the Hood River-White Salmon bridge and the vision for a new one, along with Mike Fox, co-chair of the Hood River White Salmon Bridge Authority and secretary of the Hood River Port Commission.