The Standoff at Vantage Ferry
The state attempts to block a private toll bridge at Vantage Ferry, pushing for a public crossing to secure federal highway aid.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Construction of the Vantage Ferry bridge over the Columbia River, where the state is seeking to enjoin the construction of a private toll bridge, is included in the state’s highway and bridge program for the biennium 1927-28. Highway Engineer James Allen expressed the belief that there is no such pressing need for a bridge at Vantage Ferry as to justify its construction as a private toll bridge, which would interfere with the state’s program and deprive the state of a great amount of federal aid money.
“There is no such pressing need of a bridge at Vantage Ferry as to justify its construction as a private toll bridge.”
The tension between private infrastructure and public, federalized highway projects was intense in the 1920s as Washington sought to connect its interior. The Vantage bridge eventually became a critical piece of the state's transit identity.
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