White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-06-04
LONGVIEW CLAIMS PROPOSED BRIDGE
WILL NOT BE A NAVIGATION MENACE

at Longview, Wash, connecting that
city with Rainier, Ore. The whole
lower Columbia River valley is heart
lily in favor of the project, but deter
mined resistance has been made by
certain interests at Portland, Ore.
Briefly, the towns. of the lower val
ley believe the bridge will mean great
development of that entire region.
Portland contends a bridge will con-
stitute bar to navigation.
But the people of the lower valley
claim Portland's opposition is due to
the fact that it is afraid of develop
ment of the lower valley cities and
Longview in particular They say
Portland has long dominated the en-
tire region, and now fears rival at
Longview.
An application was made to Con-
gress by w. d. Conner of Seattle and
Wesley Vandercook Of Longview for
an enabling act for the bridge. Con-
amendment that the state highways
Of Washington and Oregon should
consent. Washington approved, but
Portland interests, so it is claimed,
secured an act by the Oregon legisla-
ture which made it necessary for the
approve a bridge before the Oregon
highway authorities could do so. The
Portland port held no hearing until
January, 1926, and then made recon-
mendations which the bridge promo
tiers claimed would impose impossible
restrictions. The enabling act would
expire shortly, SO another bill was in
troduced in Congress which did not
require permission of the two state
| highway authorities.
The latest act is now before Con-
gress. 1t carries requirement that
| the secretaries of war, commerce and
| agriculture, shall approve the bridge
specifications. The senate commit
tee has approved and it is hoped the
house committee will do SO and that
Congress will act favorably before 1t
closes the present session.
The Longview promoters when
they applied for the first enabling act
submitted tentative plans which set
the clearance vertically at 155 feet
after consultation with shipping in
.erests. Portland men who oppose
now say that is not high enough. But
the bridge promoters decline to set
a definite height, pointing out that
neither they nor Portland interests
have anything to say about 1t. The
war department. through the corps of
engineers, is charged with setting
the height and specifications OF any
bridge over a navigable stream, and
they must first issue permit before
any bridge can be built. So, Wesley
Vandercook declines to discuss the
matter Of bridge height. He states
that IL the war department issues
permit it will say under what condi-
lions the structure must be built.
Should the bridge be built 1t will
have under tentative plans horizon
tai clearance between the main piers
of $50 feet, which pilots say Is suffi-
cient.
California and other west coast
automobile travel enters largely into
the bridgt fight. There is now being
] constructed a highway called the
: Roosevelt Highway up the coast from
California When built, tourists could
follow that route up the coast to Sea-
side, Ore, and there connect with
the Columbia River Highway, coming
up the south bank of the Columbia
River to Rainier, Ore, the Oregon
terminus of the bridge, and then take
the Pacific Highway on to Seattle
and other northern cities. Those
tourists from the north could take the.
same route on the southern trip. This
travel would be diverted from Port
land, and this forms real part of
| Portland's protest. Tourists could
go one way and return the other, at
least.
Such condition would mean great
development at Longview, as 1t would
certainly become an important hub OF
| travel.
But another angle Is the fear Port
land has of the development Of Long
view as port. Longview has the
finest harbor to be found on the Co
lumbia River, and Is the natural cen
ter for vast, rich hinterland, with
three transcontinental railroads pass.
ing through. An aggressive cam
paign for port development Is now I'M
der way and 1t is believed it will not
be long until Longview harbor will be
| a busy one, with general shipping
constituting an important part Of its
business.
| Under tentative plans the Long
view bridge proper would be about
$500 feet long, with long approaches,
and would cost in the neighborhood of
100000 with reasonable require
ment as to height. 1t would be
toll bridge, with recapture clause
giving the public the right to pur-
chase 1t after reasonable length of
time.
Longview advocates declare it is
folly to presume that Longview would
D.,