Mitchell Point Tunnel

Inside the tunnel

The Mitchell Point Tunnel was a tunnel located towards the eastern end of the Historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon, United States. It existed from 1915 to 1966.

History

Looking up from the river
Entrance to the tunnel

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]

"The Most Costly Road in the World" "Mitchell's Point Cut on Columbia Expensive Piece of Highway Engineering" July, 1915 article (part 1)
"The Most Costly Road in the World" "Mitchell's Point Cut on Columbia Expensive Piece of Highway Engineering" July, 1915 article (part 2)

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] Construction is underway, with a tentative completion date of June, 2024.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Historic Columbia River Highway Recording Project" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b Berlow, Lawrence (2015). Reference Guide to Famous Engineering Landmarks of the World: Bridges, Tunnels, Dams, Roads and Other Structures. Routledge. ISBN 978-1579580926.
  3. ^ Motoring Magazine and Motor Life, July 1915, p. 14
  4. ^ "The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, July 11, 1915, SECTION THREE, Page 11, Image 43 « Historic Oregon Newspapers".
  5. ^ "Tunnel Creator Honored by Scholarship". Columns - The University of Washington Alumni Magazine. March 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Mitchell Point project receives $28 million from US Dept. of Transportation". Gorge News Center. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Native Americans attack Americans at the Cascades of the Columbia on March 26, 1856". Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  8. ^ Simpson, Claude L. (October 9, 1921). "Scenic Point Turns Mind to Tragic Legend". Oregon Journal.
  9. ^ "Columbia Gorge's Mitchell Point Tunnel Soon to Be a Restored Treasure". My Oregon News. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  10. ^ "Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail - Mitchell Point Crossing (project newsletter)" (PDF). Western Federal Lands Highway Division. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. 2024-01-12.

45°42′15″N 121°37′01″W / 45.704096°N 121.616839°W / 45.704096; -121.616839