The Glen Jackson Bridge crosses the Columbia River, connecting the East sides of Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. Most people don't use, and probably don't know the official name, to most, it is just the I-205 bridge.

Unlike such Portland area bridges as the Fremont Bridge and the St. Johns Bridge, the Glen Jackson Bridge is not known for its aesthetic effect, and in fact, does not even look particularly bridge like. It looks somewhat like a twisting6 lane freeway that happens to be raised a few hundred feet off the river below.

The bridge, despite its lackluster appearence, is probably quite a piece of engineering. For one thing, the bridge is around 2 miles long, and twists quite a bit, as well as ending up several dozen meters higher on the north side then it is on the south.

Halfway across the Columbia, the bridge rests briefly on Government Island. I have heard of people who have sneaked from the I-205 bicycle path that runs down the middle of the freeway onto Government Island, crossing three lanes of traffic to do so. I don't think this would be a good idea, myself.

I have also heard rumors that the inside of the bridge is hollow so workers can make repairs on the bridge. And indeed, the bike path across the bridge has manhole covers spaced evenly. Another rumor had it that one of these was loose, and that skateboarders would regularly go down into the hollow inside of the bridge to skate. A few years ago, I walked across the bridge and attempted to lift every one of the several dozen covers, but unfortunatly, I couldn't get into the mythic hollow center.

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