John Day River Bridge

1918 - 1933

One last feature about the LCRH to mention is the former bridge over the John Day River near Astoria. Built in 1918 by the Portland Bridge Company, two Howe trusses were used along with a 40-foot draw span to allow fishing boats past. Because of WW1, a steel shortage determined the bridge to be made of wood. To help protect the bridge, it was covered. Covered bridges cost more with here no exception. The bridge was replaced after only fifteen years.

Third Biennial Report of the Oregon State Highway Commission

As a part of the improvement of the Columbia River Highway between Astoria and Svensen, a bridge was constructed over the John Day River about four miles east of Astoria.

The John Day River is a stream navigable to small boats, so it was necessary to provide a movable span of 40-foot clear opening. Owing to the unusually high price of steel it was decided to construct this bridge of wood. The movable span is of the single leaf bascule type operated by a windlass. Counter weights are employed to assist the movement of the span and in order to compensate for the variable pull required to lift the span at different phases of its movement, the counter weight cables operate over spiral drums in such manner that their pull is a maximum when the span is down, and is least when the span is raised, gradually changing between the two extremes. In order to guard against failure of the operator to close the gate on the side of the stream opposite the machinery, an automatic gate was constructed. It closes when the bridge starts to open and when the bridge closes it swings back out of the way automatically.

The bridge rests on concrete piers carried on piling, and besides the lift span there are two 90-foot covered wooden spans. The operating machinery is completely housed in by means of a tower.

The crossing was designed to carry 20-ton trucks and the covered spans have laminated wood floors with asphaltic wearing surface.

One of the most serious objections raised against covered wooden bridges is the lack of light. This was overcome in this case, as in other wooden bridges on primary roads designed by this Department, by whitewashing the interior and the addition of open windows at panel points. These are provided with returns, and with the asphaltic wearing surface on the floors of such bridges prevent moisture coming in contact with the structural timbers of the bridge.

This bridge was built by the Portland Bridge Company and the total cost will be about $25,000.00. The payments on the bridge to November 30, 1918, amounted to $21,051.52. Mr. Leigh M. Huggins was resident engineer in charge of construction.

"John Day River Covered Bridge in Clatsop County was built in 1918 by the Portland Bridge Company for the State of Oregon. The main span consisted of two 108 foot Howe Trusses with one 40 foot draw span. When the bridge was built it had to be made of wood due to steel shortage caused by First World War. The state bridge engineers overcame their principal prejudice against covered bridges, that is, the lack of light in closed spans by whitewashing the interior and by providing windows at panel points. The John Day at this point is navigable to small boats, hence the decision to provide a draw span of the single leaf bascule type, operated by as windlass. The bridge boasted asphalted laminated floors capable of carrying twenty ton trucks. As with most first class wooden bridges on primary state roads, its cost was high, $25,000 and its life short, only fifteen years."

BridgeHunter.com: John Day River Bridge

Overview: Lost Howe through truss bridge over John Day River on Columbia River Highway

Location: Clatsop County, Oregon

Status: Replaced by a new bridge

History: Built 1918; Replaced 1933

Builder: Portland Bridge Co. of Portland, Oregon

Design: Two 108' Howe through truss spans

Dimensions

Length of largest span: 108.0 ft.

Total length: 300.0 ft.

Inventory numbers

WGCB 37-04-01x (World Guide to Covered Bridges number)

BH 65830 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

John Day River Bridge

1933 - 1990

Kirk J. Pool, March 21, 2020

I was looking at the John Day River page. There was a 2nd bridge there from the 1930's? I'm having trouble finding info. or photos of it. But it was there my first 20 years of driving. I'll dig around for any information. Covered bridge was replaced in 1933.

John Day River Bridge

Built: 1990

BridgeReports.com: US 30 (HWY 2W) over JOHN DAY RIVER

Name: US 30 (HWY 2W) over JOHN DAY RIVER

Structure number: 01827B 02W 0925

Location: 026 MI E ASTORIA

Purpose: Carries highway over highway and waterway

Route classification: Principal Arterial - Other (Rural) [02]

Length of largest span: 140.1 ft. [42.7 m]

Total length: 1105.0 ft. [336.8 m]

Roadway width between curbs: 40.0 ft. [12.2 m]

Deck width edge-to-edge: 42.7 ft. [13.0 m]

Vertical clearance below bridge: 29.5 ft. [9.0 m]

Owner: State Highway Agency [01]

Year built: 1990

Historic significance: Bridge is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places [5]

Design load: MS 22.5 / HS 25 [9]

Number of main spans: 8

Main spans material: Prestressed concrete [5]

Main spans design: Stringer/Multi-beam or girder [02]

Deck type: Concrete Cast-in-Place [1]

Wearing surface: Monolithic Concrete (concurrently placed with structural deck) [1]

Latest Available Inspection: March 2017

Good/Fair/Poor Condition: Fair

Status: Open, no restriction [A]

Average daily traffic: 10,200 [as of 2016]

Truck traffic: 20% of total traffic

Deck condition: Satisfactory [6 out of 9]

Superstructure condition: Satisfactory [6 out of 9]

Substructure condition: Fair [5 out of 9]

Structural appraisal: Somewhat better than minimum adequacy to tolerate being left in place as is [5]

Deck geometry appraisal: Somewhat better than minimum adequacy to tolerate being left in place as is [5]

Underclearances appraisal: Basically intolerable requiring high priority of corrective action [3]

Water adequacy appraisal: Equal to present desirable criteria [8]

Roadway alignment appraisal: Equal to present desirable criteria [8]

Channel protection: Bank protection is in need of minor repairs. River control devices and embankment protection have a little minor damage. Banks and/or channel have minor amounts of drift. [7]

Pier/abutment protection: In place and functioning [2]

Scour condition: Bridge foundations determined to be stable for assessed or calculated scour condition. [5]

Sufficiency rating: 60.9

John Day River

Wikipedia: John Day River (northwestern Oregon)

The John Day River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. The river is one of two tributaries of the Columbia in Oregon to bear the name "John Day River". The other John Day River, east of the Cascade Range, is much longer and more well-known.

The river rises in the Northern Oregon Coast Range in Clatsop County at 46.138889°N 123.704722°W. It flows generally north and enters the Columbia from the south approximately 10 mi (16 km) east of Astoria. It passes under U.S. Route 30 near the small unincorporated community of John Day (not to be confused with the city of the same name in Grant County). The mouth of the river is approximately 15 mi (24 km) upstream from the mouth of the Columbia on the Pacific.

Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Journey Across Oregon

US 30 crosses the little JOHN DAY RIVER, 97.9 m. [West of Portland], another stream named for the unfortunate Astorian of whom Robert Stuart says as he camped a few miles up the Columbia: "evident symptoms of mental derangement made their appearance in John Day one of my Hunters who for a day or two previous seemed as if restless and unwell but now uttered the most incoherent absurd and unconnected sentences. . . . it was the opinion of all the Gentlemen that it would be highly imprudent to suffer him to proceed any farther for in a moment when not sufficiently watched he might embroil us with the natives, who on all occasions he reviled by the appellations Rascal, Robber &c &c &c "

Nearing the western sea that they had been sent to find, Lewis and Clark recorded enthusiastically, on November 7, 1805, "Ocian in view. O the joy." On the following day he wrote: "Some rain all day at intervals, we are all wet and disagreeable, as we have been for several days past, and our present Situation a verry disagreeable one in as much, as we have not leavel land Sufficient for an encampment and for our baggage to lie cleare of the tide, the High hills jutting in so close and steep that we cannot retreat back, and the water too salt to be used, added to this the waves are increasing to Such a hight that we cannot move from this place, in this Situation we are compelled to form our camp between the Hits of the Ebb and flood tides, and rase our baggage on logs."

On the 9th he wrote: "our camp entirely under water dureing the hight of the tide, every man as wet as water could make them all the last night and to day all day as the rain continued all the day, at 4 oClock P M the wind shifted about to the S.W. and blew with great violence immediately from the Ocean for about two hours, notwithstanding the disagreeable Situation of our party all wet and cold (and one which they have experienced for Several days past) they are chearfull and anxious to See further into the Ocian. The water of the river being too Salt to use we are obliged to make use of rain water. Some of the party not accustomed to Salt water has made too free use of it on them it acts as a pergitive. At this dismal point we must Spend another night as the wind & waves are too high to preceed."

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