The Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, or I-205 bridge, is a segmental bridge

Segmental bridge

As its name implies, a segmental bridge is a bridge built in short sections , i.e., one piece at a time, as opposed to traditional methods that build a bridge in very large sections...

 that spans the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 between Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...

 and Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

.

Planning for the structure began in earnest in 1964 when it was designated as part of the East Portland Freeway (later renamed Veteran's Memorial Freeway), Interstate 205. Construction began in August 1977. In order to avoid disrupting river traffic, the bridge was built one segment at a time. The segments, weighing upwards of 200 tons, were cast 4 miles (6.4 km) downstream and barge

Barge

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...

d into place. The bridge was opened on December 15, 1982. The finished project cost was $169.6 million: $155.7 million from Federal funds, $4 million from Washington state funds and $9.9 million from Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 state funds. Three men died during its construction.

It is a twin structure with four lanes in each direction and a 9 ft (2.7 m). wide bicycle and pedestrian path in between. The bridge is 7460 ft (2,273.8 m). long from the Washington side of the river to Government Island

Government Island, Oregon

Government Island is a island in the Columbia River north of Portland, Oregon in Multnomah County. Though Interstate 205 passes over it on the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, access to the island is only by boat...

 and another 3120 ft (951 m). in length from Government Island to the Oregon side of the river. The main span, near the Washington side, is 600 ft (183 m). long with 144 ft (44 m). of vertical clearance at low river levels. The bridge was named for Glenn Jackson

Glenn Jackson

Glenn L. Jackson was a businessman in the U.S. state of Oregon, and an influential transportation planner in the state. He made a strong mark on the state as a 20-year member, and later chair, of the Oregon State Highway Commission, later known as the Oregon Transportation Commission...

, the chairman of the Oregon State Highway Commission and later the Oregon Economic Development Commission. As of 2008 the average daily traffic was 134,800 vehicles.