The BNSF Portland-Vancouver Bridge was completed in 1908. Originally owned by the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railroad (SP&S), the bridge replaced the Goble OR-Kalama WA train ferry on the railroad trip from Portland to Seattle. When the bridge was being planned the idea of adding a roadway to the bridge above or along side of the railroad tracks was discussed but ultimately decided against. Portland and Vancouver got their first roadway link 9 years later when the Interstate Bridge was opened to traffic.
The SP&S became part of the Burlington Northern (BN) in 1970. The BN, in turn, merged with the Santa Fe in 1996 to form the BNSF. The idea of using the BNSF Portland-Vancouver bridge for commuter or light rail trains is brought up from time to timeThis photograph was taken in September 2001 with Washington in the foreground.
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