Bridge to Nowhere

From 1921 until 1966, scheduled ferry service connected automobile travelers across the Columbia River between Astoria, Oregon and Megler, Washington. When the 4.1 mile Astoria-Megler Bridge opened to traffic in August 1966, it was the final link in U.S. Highway 101 between Mexico and Canada.

Critics opposed to the bridge's construction called it the "bridge to nowhere" and said that tolls would never recoup the cost of the bridge. But traffic far exceeded even official projections and, by the end of 1993, tolls were removed when the construction bonds were repaid two years ahead of schedule.

The Astoria -Megler Bridge appears to float in the fog above Astoria's Riverwalk.













The Astoria-Megler Bridge rises above the Cannery Pier Hotel.












Astoria's waterfront was once a major fish processing center as evidenced by the many pilings that line the riverfront.




View Astoria-Megler Bridge in a larger map

Photographs ©Michael Launder. All rights reserved.