Postcard of Original Interstate Bridge - from the Bosco-Milligan Foundation Collections
Yes, it is regularly overloaded with traffic, but it seems that lost in all of the discussion about replacing the old Interstate bridges with a new “Columbia River Crossing” is the fact that the oldest of the two existing bridges is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is, in fact, a pretty historically significant structure that thus far in public discussions has been given little attention.
Opened in 1917, the bridge was designed by Waddell & Harrington of Kansas City, notable for also designing the Steel and Hawthorne bridges.
So, what should be done with the historic bridge? Should it simply be demolished to make way for a new CRC ? Perhaps it could be re-purposed for bikes, pedestrians and/or light rail?