HOOD RIVER COUNTY
Grading—Cascade Locks to Hood River
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.
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:
DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT—GRADING—CASCADE LOCKS
SECTION
| Engineering | $ 8,744.41 | |||||
| Construction—General— | ||||||
| Common Excavation, 60,660 cu. yds. at 42c | $ 25,477.20 | |||||
| Intermediate Excavation, 50,645 cu. yds. at 75c | 37,983.75 | |||||
| Solid Rock Excavation, 44,500 cu. yds. at $1.15 | 51,175.00 | |||||
| Overhaul, per 100 lin. ft., 133,229 cu. yds. at 3c | 3,996.87 | |||||
| 12-inch Reinforced Concrete Pipe, 1,102 lin. ft. at $1.75 | 1,928.50 | |||||
| 18-inch Reinforced Concrete Pipe, 140 lin. ft. at $2.25 | 315.00 | |||||
| 24-inch Reinforced Concrete Pipe, 284 lin. ft. at $3.00 | 852.00 | |||||
| 30-inch Reinforced Concrete Pipe. 72 lin. ft. at $4.25 | 306.00 | |||||
| Class A Concrete, 80.86 cu. yds. at $20.00 | 1,617.20 | |||||
| Class C Concrete, 32.43 cu. yds. at $14.00 | 454.02 | |||||
| Placing Reinforcing Steel, 3,197 lbs. at .001⁄2 | 15.99 | |||||
| Catch Basins, 9 at $25.00 | 225.00 | |||||
| Extra Clearing and Grubbing, 5.79 acres at $200.00 | 1,158.00 | |||||
| Extra Clearing, 4.13 acres at $100.00 | 413.00 | |||||
| Herman Creek Bridge— | ||||||
| Class A Concrete, 137.61 cu. yds. at $20.00 | $ 2,752.20 | |||||
| Class C Concrete, 3.57 cu. yds. at $14.00 | 49.98 | |||||
| Reinforcing Steel (Placing) 23,000 lbs at.001⁄2 | 115.00 | |||||
| Reinforcing Steel furnished by State | 1,394.32 | |||||
| Removing old bridge and constructing temporary bridge | 426.00 | |||||
| Wet excavation for piers | 664.86 | |||||
| Concrete toe wall to protect fill | 1,547.98 | |||||
| Railing | 438.72 | |||||
| Total cost of Herman Creek Bridge | 7,389.06 | |||||
| Gorton Creek Bridge— | ||||||
| Excavation for piers | $ 483.44 | |||||
| Class A Concrete, 90.85 cu. yds. at $20.00 | 1,817.00 | |||||
| Placing Reinforcing Steel, 7,378 lbs. at.001⁄2 | 36.89 | |||||
| Reinforcing Steel furnished by State | 447.27 | |||||
| Railing | 224.29 | |||||
| Rip-rap | 145.01 | |||||
| Total cost of Gorton Creek Bridge | 3,153.90 | |||||
| Force Account Work as Follows— | ||||||
| Construction and Removal of temporary bridge over Dry Creek | 15.78 | |||||
| Removing Slide from O.-W. R. R. & N. Tracks | 95.59 | |||||
| Gravel Surfacing—End of Pavement to Cascade Locks | 2,418.55 | |||||
| Railing for Viento Creek Bridge | 106.11 | |||||
| Excavating in water and placing Corrugated Iron Pipe | 57.92 | |||||
| Excavation and placing drain tile in wet cuts | 150.63 | |||||
| Excavation and placing box drain for form crossing | 10.44 | |||||
| Riprap on slope to keep fill off O.-W. R. R. & N. Right of Way | 177.29 | |||||
| Water pipe and private road crossing | 40.16 | |||||
| Sinking test holes in gravel pit at Cascade Locks | 24.93 | |||||
| Road crossing for Herman Creek Ranger Station | 167.38 | |||||
| Hauling dirt to cover boulders | 264.40 | |||||
| Placing concrete pipe | 59.03 | |||||
| Flagmen guarding track (Contractor’s force) | 1,234.83 | |||||
| Miscellaneous Construction Items Paid Direct by State— | ||||||
| Replacing Fence | 18.75 | |||||
| Reinforcing Steel for Concrete Culverts | 193.77 | |||||
| Concrete Pipe furnished by State | 71.50 | |||||
| Moving Building in Cascade Locks | 1,400.00 | |||||
| Guarding O.-W. R. R. & N. Tracks (Ry. Co. Force) | 1,343.69 | |||||
| Guarding Western Union Telegraph Line | 498.01 | |||||
| Total Construction Cost | $ 144,809.25 | |||||
| Grand Total Cost of Job | 153,553.66 | |||||
| Deduction for Rental of State Cars and Track | 648.81 | |||||
| Total Cash Expenditure | $ 152,904.85 | |||||