Bridge replacement project awarded $8 million in federal earmarks

The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Replacement Project will receive an additional $8 million in federal funding after Congress approved two separate requests late last week.

This latest round of funding comes just months after the project was awarded a $200-million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project now has $327 million in committed funds, about 63% of the estimated total project cost of $520 million.

“We’re committed to delivering a new bridge by October 2029, and this funding brings us that much closer,” said Mike Fox, co-chair of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority. “What’s more, every dollar we get from the government is a dollar local residents won’t have to repay in tolls on the future bridge. We’re incredibly grateful to the Congressional delegation from Washington and Oregon for securing funding for this critical interstate connector.”

The $8 million approved by Congress last week came from two $4 million appropriation requests submitted last spring—one from Washington State and one from Oregon. Klickitat County sponsored the Washington request, and that $4 million will support preliminary engineering and design of the new bridge, including seismic resiliency and accommodations for cyclists and pedestrians.

The Oregon request was sponsored by the Port of Hood River. That funding will be set aside to acquire any land required to complete the project, and to fulfill commitments to local tribes as identified in the federal approval process.

Once received, the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority will work with both agencies that received the appropriations to ensure the funds are properly applied towards the project. The authority is the governing body overseeing the construction of the new bridge.

Both of these areas are crucial to starting construction of the new bridge in 2025 and completing the bridge in 2029.

“Our community has needed a new bridge for decades, and this funding will help make that a reality,” said Jacob Anderson, co-chair of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority. “Washington residents are particularly reliant on the bridge for our everyday lives, and we can’t wait to have a new bridge with wider lanes and fewer closures. Thank you to our federal representatives for ensuring this project gets the funding it deserves.”