That section of the Columbia River Highway from the Multnomah County
Line to Hood River passes through the narrowest part of the Columbia
River Gorge through the Cascade Range. The steep river banks rise
directly up from the water's edge for a large part of the distance, so
the space for both railroad and highway is necessarily restricted. At
many points, the right of way of the railroad and highway is contiguous
and construction under these conditions involved extremely heavy work
which added materially to the cost.
[Illustration: THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY WEST OF LINDSAY IN HOOD RIVER
COUNTY]
Previous to 1915, there was no road through the County, but from the
proceeds of a bond issue of $75,000, the County built on State standards
a roadway to connect the uncompleted portions. In 1915, the State built
about one mile, including the Mitchell Point Tunnel, one of the many
scenic features of the Columbia River Highway. One mile of pavement
adjoining the Multnomah County pavement was built in 1916 by Mr. S.
Benson.
There remained about fourteen miles which require improvement, and on
August 7, 1917, contracts were awarded to A. D. Kern for grading of
these remaining sections to bring to standard grade and alignment. This
improvement eliminated Ruthton Hill, with its narrow, steep grades,
three railroad crossings, a narrow, steep grade near Wyeth and the
improvement through the village of Cascade Locks to the end of the
pavement. The work was divided as follows: Cascade Locks Section, 8.2
miles; Viento Section, 3.6 miles; Ruthton Hill Section, 4.2 miles. These
contracts were completed in September, 1918. Due to the close proximity
to the railroad tracks, the work required extreme care and watchfulness
but was accomplished without accident and without delays to railroad
traffic. The costs of construction for each of the three sections
follows: