The proposed Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge replacement project has received federal approval to advance to final design and construction permitting.

The $1.12 billion Columbia River bridge project spanning Oregon and Washington received a record of decision on Tuesday from the Federal Highway Administration, closing out National Environmental Policy Act obligations.

“What it means is that we have finalized the NEPA process and the project can move forward into final design right away and construction,” Michael Shannon, bridge replacement project director, said in an interview on Wednesday.

Kiewit Corp., the project’s design-build contractor, is on track to hit the 60 percent design level next summer, with a final set of construction plans expected to be ready in spring 2027, Shannon said.

If anticipated funding falls into place, construction would follow in October 2027, Shannon said.

“That is dependent on securing the final federal funding for the project,” he said.

The project team is awaiting a decision on Bridge Investment Program funds. Project officials have requested $530 million from the program, which is administered by the Federal Highway Administration.

The total price tag includes planning and construction and encompasses about $180 million in contingency funding, Shannon said.

This bridge replacement project appears to be moving smoothly toward construction while other major infrastructure plans have been stymied by delayed or canceled funding.

As part of major legislation, President Donald Trump earlier this year rescinded $412.5 million for the Interstate 5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. Other projects across the nation have likewise not received expected funding.

Shannon said he had no concerns about the Trump administration’s willingness to fund the Hood River–White Salmon Interstate Bridge replacement.

“We got notification that we met the screening criteria for projects under the new administration,” he said.

The project was “highly recommended,” Shannon said. “The project (team) has done everything it can to be positioned to accept award,” he added.

The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge proposal meets a key threshold, Shannon said: Requested federal funding is less than 50 percent of the project’s total cost. Oregon and Washington have each agreed to chip in $125 million.

The new bridge would replace the existing span, which opened in December 1924. The new bridge would sit slightly west of the current bridge and include two 12-foot vehicle lanes, two 8-foot shoulders and a 12-foot shared-use path for bicycles and pedestrians. Vehicles would be tolled.

The proposed bridge’s 90-foot vertical clearance has been preliminarily approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The replacement bridge “would meet current design standards to be seismically sound under a 1,000-year seismic event and operational under a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake,” the record of decision states.

Indeed, seismic concerns were a driving force behind the project. The current bridge sits on a sandy, silty layer that is vulnerable to liquefaction.

“It is more susceptible to earthquake than we had thought before,” Shannon said.

The bridge project exemplifies the public-sector work that has buoyed the construction industry while interest rates remain high, private lenders exercise caution, and some types of commercial real estate suffer from oversupply and high vacancy rates.

“Infrastructure funding has been a major source of stability for the construction industry over the past few years,” Macrina Wilkins, a researcher for the Associated General Contractors of America, wrote in an email on Wednesday. “Bridge, highway and other projects supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (and related federal programs) have kept contractors busy and work flowing into the pipeline, even as concerns about labor shortages and economic uncertainty persisted.”

Contractors are “eager to undertake” projects like the Hood River–White Salmon Interstate Bridge replacement “especially in the face of softer private demand,” Wilkins added.

Still, Wilkins stated, contractors should prepare for a leveling off in public infrastructure work: Highway and street spending fell 0.9 percent nationally in August, compared to a year earlier.

“Infrastructure investments are still supporting the industry, just not at the unusually elevated pace we saw earlier in the (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) rollout,” Wilkins wrote.

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Construction of a 130-unit affordable housing development is under way in Hood River. Mariposa Village will consist of six wood-framed residential buildings, plus a community center. There will be a mix of townhouses and multistory multifamily buildings, including one specifically for seniors.

Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation and Community Development Partners are co-developing the project. Holst Architecture designed Mariposa Village and Walsh Construction is the general contractor. The team also includes civil engineer Klein and Associates of Hood River, structural engineer TM Rippey Consulting Engineers, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) consultant Interface Engineering, and landscape architect PLACE.

After purchasing the 7.25-acre project site, at 780 Rand Road, in 2020 for $1.2 million, the city of Hood River donated it for development through an RFP process. The total development cost will be approximately $74.2 million.

Mariposa Village will include seven studios, 29 one-bedroom units, 48 two-bedroom units and 46 three-bedroom units; all will be for people earning up to 60 percent of area median income. Thirty-nine units will have project-based vouchers from the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, Community Development Partners senior development manager Lucy Corbett said. The vouchers will go to households earning up to 30 percent of AMI.

“The design is intended to create community among residents,” Corbett said.

The community center will have offices for property management and resident services; the latter will be provided by Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation. There will also be a classroom/meeting space and an outdoor patio.

Other site amenities will include a park with a playground and community garden beds. A strong emphasis will be placed on the natural environment by also incorporating trails and protecting the on-site wetlands, Community Development Partners spokesperson Jena Green stated in an email. Two trails will be operated by the city of Hood River and Hood River Valley Parks + Recreation District and be accessible by both Mariposa Village residents and community members.

National Green Building Standard gold certification is being targeted for the project. The community center will be a net-zero energy building with solar panels on its roof. The project team will receive 45L tax credits, because the residential units will meet the Zero Energy Ready Home standard of the Oregon Department of Energy.

Most of the buildings will have fiber-cement siding and gable roofs.

Construction began in late April. A ceremony hailing the start of work is expected to take place late this month. Completion of the first phase is scheduled for July 2026, with the second and final phase to follow by January 2027.

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HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) — Fire officials say a blaze that began near a home in Hood River spread to surrounding timber and brush and forced the overnight evacuation of dozens of people staying at a lodge overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

The Hood River Sheriff’s Office says the fire was reported late Saturday near a residence.

Crews helped about 120 people staying at the Westcliff Lodge evacuate the area. A first responder was treated for a leg injury but no one else was injured.

The Oregon Department of Forestry said Sunday that the fire is burning in a rugged area of cliffs making access difficult. The agency says helicopters will help drop waters in those steep areas.

The fire has burned about five acres northwest of Hood River between Interstate 84 and the Columbia River.

Railroad lines north of the fire have been closed as a precaution.

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