Mitchell Point Tunnel
The Mitchell Point Tunnel was a tunnel located towards the eastern end of the Historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon, United States west of Hood River. The original tunnel existed from 1915 to 1966. A pedestrian and bike only tunnel opened on March 21, 2025, after a dedication ceremony on November 16, 2024.
History
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The tunnel was designed by John Arthur Elliott, who was inspired by a tunnel similarly set into a cliff face above Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.[1] It was built in 1915 and opened late in the year, the first major roadway tunnel in the United States.[2] The tunnel measured 390 feet (120 m) long, 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, and 10 feet (3.0 m) tall.[2] At the time it was one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, sections of road ever built.[3][4]
In 1932, the Toothrock Tunnel was opened, and some traffic was rerouted to the new alignment,[5] though Mitchell Point Tunnel remained open to vehicle traffic until the early 1950s, when the road was rerouted to the base of Mitchell Point.[1] The tunnel was subsequently blocked off with debris, and remained closed until 1966 when it was destroyed as part of Interstate 80N construction.[1]
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As part of the rebuilding of the Columbia River Highway into a network of trails, the Oregon Department of Transportation has considered the possibility of boring a new tunnel on Mitchell Point.[6]
Mitchell's Point is named for Captain Mitchell, an early Oregon settler who was said to have jumped from the point to commit suicide, rather than be captured by natives, during a conflict in 1856 later dubbed the Cascades Massacre.[7] In 1921 there were two proposals to change the name to honor heroes of overseas wars.[8]
In 2021 the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced commencement of a project to build a replica tunnel in the original location.[9] On November 16, 2024, ODOT held a preview event, letting people view the Columbia River Gorge from Mitchell Point Tunnel for the first time in 71 years.[10] The tunnel opened on March 21, 2025.
See also
[edit | edit source]- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon
- List of tunnels documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon
References
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- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Motoring Magazine and Motor Life, July 1915, p. 14
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External links
[edit | edit source]- File:Wikisource-logo.svg The full text of The Most Costly Road in the World at Wikisource
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. OR-36-R, "Historic Columbia River Highway, Mitchell Point Tunnel and Viaduct, Through Lower Mitchell Point on Historic Columbia River Highway, Troutdale, Multnomah County, OR", 29 data pages
- Vintage Postcards of Mitchell Point Tunnel
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