Mitchell Point Tunnel
Mitchell Point Tunnel was a tunnel toward the eastern end of the Columbia River Highway in the United States. It was built in 1915 and demolished in 1966.
It was high up on the bluff and its "windows" afforded a scenic view of the Gorge.
The tunnel was unusual in that it was only one lane wide. Eventually it acquired a traffic light at each end, to control the flow of cars and avert collisions.
It was replaced by a river-level tunnel, which in turn was replaced by Interstate Highway 84, built on landfill in that area. To prevent rockslides from the aging tunnel structure, the cliff face into which it had been bored was dynamited away in 1966.
There were and are a few other tunnels along the Gorge. One of them through the Oneonta Bluff was filled in many years ago but its entrance is still visible. One tunnel still in recent use is a railroad tunnel at river level, just west of Crown Point, easily visible from the Vista House.
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