Ruckel Creek Bridge
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes containing this location:
- Eagle-Benson Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Ruckel Ridge Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Wahtum Lake via Ruckel Creek Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.64522, -121.91763
- Elevation: 180 feet
Contents |
Description
This bridge was built as aprt of the Columbia River Highway in 1915. The bridge located at MP 44.6, was designed by highway engineer LW Metzger. Although the actual bridge is very short, the masonry guardrail makes it appear larger from the highway. It was only used for 22 years before being bypassed in 1937 as part of the Bonneville Dam relocation.
This section if the highway was basically forgotten until the Gorge Trail was assembled in the 1970s. The Gorge Trail utilized the abandoned highway for over a mile from just east of Eagle Creek Campground across the Ruckel Creek Bridge and on to a point where the old highway was demolished to make room for the newer highway, now I-84.
In 1999, this portion of the old highway was restored as the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail. The guardrails on the Ruckel Creek Bridge were restored and reconstructed where necessary. The entire route was repaved and a tunnel was built under the freeway east of the bridge.
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Guidebooks that cover this destination
- Day Hike! Columbia Gorge, by Seabury Blair, Jr.
- Afoot and Afield Portland/Vancouver, by Douglas Lorain
- 35 Hiking Trails, Columbia River Gorge, by Don & Roberta Lowe
- Columbia River Gorge, 42 Scenic Hikes, by Don & Roberta Lowe
- Hiking the Columbia River Gorge - 1st and 2nd Editions, by Russ Schneider
- 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon - 3rd Edition, by William L Sullivan
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- Stevefromdodge (creator)