beside what used to be the toll plaza, at the end of a inclined ramp which goes through a full 360-degree loop while gaining elevation over land to provide almost of clearance over the shipping channel. The north end is at and connects directly to SR 401. Since most of the northern portion of the bridge is over shallow, non-navigable water, it is low to the water. Repainting the bridge was planned for May 2009 through 2011 and budgeted at $20 million, to be shared by the states of Oregon and Washington. A four-year planned paint stripping and repainting project was planned for March 2012 through December 2016. Pedestrians Normally, only motor vehicles and bicycles are allowed on the bridge—not pedestrians. There is no sidewalk and the shoulders are too narrow for pedestrians adjacent to traffic. However, one day a year—usually in October—the bridge is host to the Great Columbia Crossing. Participants are taken by shuttle to the Washington side, from where they run or walk to the Oregon side on a route across the bridge. Motor traffic is allowed to use only one lane (of two lanes) and is advised to expect delays during the two-hour event. For the first time, during the 2018 event, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced that the bridge would be closed to motor traffic. Popular culture The bridge itself is featured prominently in the movies Short Circuit, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy and The Goonies. It stands in for the doomed fictional Madison Bridge in Irwin Allen's 1979 made-for-TV disaster movie The Night the Bridge Fell Down. Songwriter Sufjan Stevens most likely references the bridge in his song "Should Have Known Better" off his 2015 album Carrie & Lowell as a metaphor for dealing with his grief from the death of his mother. Images See also List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state) List of bridges on U.S. Route 101 in Oregon References External links funbeach.com: Astoria–Megler Bridge oldoregon.com: Astoria–Megler Bridge Great Columbia Crossing Bridges over the Columbia River Road bridges in Oregon Road bridges in Washington (state) Bridges completed in 1966 Continuous truss bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Astoria, Oregon Transportation buildings and structures in Pacific County, Washington U.S. Route 101 1966 establishments in Oregon Former toll bridges in Oregon Former