Since the late 1980s, ODOT and the Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee have sought to reopen the tunnels and the Hood River to Mosier section of the road for recreational use, as another segment of the HCRH State Trail. ODOT is the lead agency on this project, partnering with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD). The tunnels were reopened and restored in 1996. Masonry guard walls east and west of the tunnels have been pointed or completely rebuilt using local stone and original construction techniques.
ODOT has removed extra pavement width laid in the 1930s, to recreate the original 18-foot roadway with 2-foot shoulders in this section. In addition, the department has recreated the 1920s two-rail wooden guard fence to original specifications and installed it at locations noted in the 1924 Mile Posting Data log. The agency also installed reproduction concrete mileposts along the HCRH State Trail.
Because of constant danger from rockfall between the tunnels and west of the tunnels, ODOT proposed construction of two catchment structures to shield recreationalists from falling chunks of basalt. The agency completed a reinforced-concrete rock catchment structure between the tunnels in 1996. A similar one west of the west tunnel is under construction and is scheduled for completion in 2000. The designs of both structures have met the approval of the HCRH Advisory Committee and the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) as being compatible with the highway’s historic integrity. The Oregon SHPO’s determination of “No Adverse Effect” was accepted by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Both designs also meet the visual quality objectives of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (CRGNSA) Management Plan (1992).
One other significant resource in this segment, the Rock Creek Bridge (1918), in Wasco County, lost its reinforced-concrete parapet walls years ago in favor of wooden posts and rails. In the mid-1990s, ODOT re-created the original concrete railings for this structure.
Two major structures are crossed in this section of highway: the Mosier Creek Bridge (1920), at HMP 73.7, and the Dry Canyon Creek Bridge (1921), at HMP 79.7. Both are reinforced-concrete ribbed deck arch spans designed by Oregon State Bridge Engineer Conde B. McCullough. They are in very good original condition with some concrete patching completed on the parapet walls.
As with other driveable CRH sections, ODOT has replaced the odd assortment of metal guardrail profiles found in this segment with its crash-tested, steel-backed two-rail wooden guard fence.