🌉 $3.4M State Park Dispute Hits Bridge Project - HRWS Bridge Authority - Mar '26

This newsletter now has an audio edition!

🏛 March 2026 Meetings

The Body: Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority (HRWSBA)

The Bottom Line: On-the-ground engineering prep is advancing rapidly, but the Authority is bracing for a critical funding cliff by October 2026 and navigating a newly escalated legal dispute over land mitigation with the state of Oregon.

The Vibe: Cautiously optimistic regarding the progressive design-build team’s momentum, but laced with underlying anxiety over bureaucratic red tape, rigid federal funding timelines, and the logistical nightmare of dismantling the old toll plaza.

💰 Federal Funding & The October Cliff

• The Authority is currently in a holding pattern awaiting award decisions for federal Bridge Investment Program (BIP) grants, though watch the Port of Hood River meetings suggests the region should expect a definitive update from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by July 1st.
• Lobbyists and officials are actively working to separate Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) from the broader INFRA grant to unlock $8 million in immediate cash flow.
• Commissioners approved delegate travel to Washington D.C. for the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) fly-in from April 20-23 to advocate directly for these funds.
• October 2026 has been identified as a critical "drop-dead" deadline to secure full federal funding.

The timeline is the ultimate dictator of this project’s success or failure. In order to begin construction by Fall 2027, the Authority must hit the region's highly restricted "in-water work window," a strict environmental timeline dictating when construction can occur in the Columbia River to protect aquatic life. If the funding package is not fully secured by October 2026, the 2027 start date becomes unviable. Missing that window pushes the project back a full year, exposing the budget to further inflationary decay and forcing the Authority to potentially abandon the efficient "progressive design-build" model for a riskier, traditional "bid-build" procurement process.

🛠 Jargon Buster: Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) is the modern term for "earmarks." These are specific pots of money requested by local members of Congress for targeted hometown projects, separate from competitive grant programs.

🏞️ The 6(f) Mitigation Dispute

• A significant disagreement has emerged between the HRWSBA and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department regarding mitigation rules.
• Building the bridge requires impacting protected recreational land, triggering an estimated $3.4 million mitigation requirement.
• Oregon state officials have suggested purchasing distant parcels of land to satisfy this requirement.
• The Authority is strategizing a challenge to this interpretation to keep the investment local.

This is a classic local-versus-state jurisdictional friction point. When federally protected recreational land is altered by infrastructure, the law requires "mitigation," essentially replacing what is lost. However, the Authority argues that taking $3.4 million generated by a local Columbia Gorge project and spending it to buy parkland in a completely different part of the state drains value from the immediate community. The Authority’s goal is to negotiate a solution where those mitigation dollars are spent improving recreation access adjacent to the new bridge itself.

Broader Context: Section 6(f) refers to the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. It strictly prohibits the conversion of parkland acquired or developed with these specific federal funds to non-recreation uses without a highly complex, dollar-for-dollar (and acre-for-acre) replacement approved by the National Park Service.

🎣 Tribal MOAs & Treaty Access

• The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and the HRWSBA have officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).
• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is currently withholding their signature on the document.
• The FHWA requires guaranteed clarification that the Washington-side bridge construction will not impede tribal access to the White Salmon Treaty Fishing Access Site (TFAS).

Infrastructure projects in the Gorge carry intense legal and historical complexities regarding indigenous treaty rights. While the local Authority and the Umatilla Tribe have reached a consensus, the federal government (FHWA) is acting as a strict backstop. Because the White Salmon TFAS is federally protected under treaty rights and historic preservation laws, the FHWA will not issue a final Record of Decision (ROD) until the construction methodology explicitly proves that tribal members will retain full, unhindered access to their fishing sites during the years-long build.

🏗️ Engineering, Operations & Community

• Across the river, the Port of Hood River has realized that early construction phases for the new bridge will force the physical removal of the existing toll booths.
• Bridge monitoring dashboards are officially live with active tilt sensors, though vibration sensors require further troubleshooting before full deployment.
• The design-build team is executing geotechnical borings, which will require a planned temporary crossing of the BNSF railroad tracks to access the Washington shoreline.
• Target for the 60% design deliverable is July/August 2026.
• The Authority is hosting a construction trades career day for local high school students on May 21, 2026.

The physical collision of the two projects is becoming imminent. The Port of Hood River is currently exploring emergency traffic-funneling barriers to ensure electronic toll cameras can still capture plates once the old toll booths are demolished to make way for the new bridge's footprint. Any loss of toll revenue during this awkward transition period could destabilize the region's financial baseline just as the Authority is seeking massive federal loans.

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Executive Summary:

🔎 What Changed

• Tribal Relations: The CTUIR successfully executed their MOA with the local Authority (pending federal sign-off).
• Audit Compliance: Resolution 2026-2 was unanimously passed, adopting the official action plan to address previous HRWSBA audit findings.
• Leadership Appointments: Keith Hirschman was officially seated as Alternate Commissioner #2 for Klickitat County.

⚠ What Escalated

• The State Parks Standoff: The interpretation of Section 6(f) mitigation with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is evolving into a formal dispute over $3.4 million in community investments.
• Tolling Logistics: The realization that the old toll plaza sits directly in the path of early construction phases has triggered an urgent need for the Port of Hood River to protect toll revenues without physical booths.
• Federal Bottlenecks: The FHWA's hesitation to sign the Umatilla MOA highlights the delicate balance between construction staging requirements and ironclad federal protections for tribal fishing access.

🧭 What’s Next

• April 3 & 10, 2026: Late-night closures of the existing bridge are scheduled to allow crews to replace expansion gaskets and update electronic tolling signs.
• April 20-23, 2026: HRWSBA delegates will deploy to Washington D.C. for the PNWA fly-in to lobby for the separation of CDS and INFRA funds.
• May 21, 2026: High school trades career day.
• July 1, 2026: Expected update from the FHWA regarding approved federal funding disbursements.
• July/August 2026: Delivery of the 60% bridge design plans.

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How to Join & Learn More The Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority meets regularly to discuss the replacement project.

• Next Meeting: Monday, April 13, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
• Location: HRWSBA Office, 1000 E Jewett #204, White Salmon, WA (and via Zoom).
• Resources: View raw meeting agendas, packets, and public comment forms at the HRWSBA Official Website.

Documenter notes are available for republishing under Creative Commons license CC by 4.0. With gratitude to Columbia Gorge Documenters, powered by Uplift Local. Learn more: https://upliftlocal.news/columbia-gorge/columbia-gorge-documenters/