True or False: Is There a Body Encased in One of the Support Pillars of the Astoria-Megler Bridge?

At 4.1 miles, the Astoria-Megler Bridge at the mouth of the Columbia River makes it the longest continuous truss bridge in North America and the second longest in the world.

In the years before construction, the idea of a bridge in that area was considered impossible and many called it the “bridge to nowhere”. However, Oregon Senator, Dan Theil, believed in the idea and headed up the cause and eventually got the deal done, and in August of 1962, the Governor of Oregon, Mark Hatfield, dug the first shovel of dirt of the project. Four years later the bridge opened.

The bridge spans a massive 1,232 feet, and as one can imagine, construction wasn’t easy. According to an article in The Astorian, even though worker safety standards at the time were not great, surprisingly, there was only one fatality during construction.

Is there a body encased in one of the cement pillars of the Astoria-Megler Bridge?

We weren’t able to confirm the circumstances leading up to the cause of death of the construction worker but some claim the body of the worker is encased in the cement of one of the support beams near the Oregon side. Fact or fiction, the story is that the worker fell into the wet cement and nothing could be done. However, according to the site, Professor Buzzkill, this myth is almost always reported after large projects involving concrete pours.

Many of the 1.8 million travelers who cross the bridge each year report feeling anxious while making the trip. Maybe that’s because, at its highest point, the bridge stands nearly 200 feet above the cold waters of the Columbia River. No need to worry though, the bridge was built to withstand the elements of Mother Nature, including winds exceeding 150 miles an hour.

The bridge has been featured in various movies including Kindergarten Cop starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Short Circuit with Ally Sheedy, and of course, The Goonies.

There is an informative video on the history of the Astoria-Megler Bridge from the Central Oregon Daily News YouTube channel.