State Route 409 (SR 409) is a short Washington state highway in Wahkiakum County. The highway runs north from the Wahkiakum County Ferry on

Puget Island Puget Island is a 7.5 sq mi(4,785 acre; 19.365 km) island and Census-designated place (CDP) in the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. The Julia Butler Hansen Bridge (built in 1938) carries State Route 409 acros ...

to SR 4 in the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Cathlamet over a distance of . The route connects

Westport, Oregon Westport is an unincorporated community and census-designated place on the Columbia River in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 321. Westport is connected to Cathlamet, Washington, across the riv ...

, which is served by the county ferry, and Cathlamet. The highway was referred to as Secondary State Highway 12F (SSH 12F) from 1943 until 1964. SR 409 crosses the

Cathlamet Channel Cathlamet may refer to: *The Kathlamet, a Native American tribe of Oregon and Washington *Cathlamet, Washington Cathlamet is a town located along the Ocean Beach Highway in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States, where it is the county s ...

on the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge, completed in August 1939. The bridge is named after former

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Julia Butler Hansen Julia Butler Hansen (June 14, 1907 – May 3, 1988) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1960 to 1974. She represented Washington's Third Congressional District as a Democrat. She ...

, who served from 1960 until 1974 representing the third congressional district including Wahkiakum County.

Route description

SR 409 goes on a route north from the northern ferry dock of the Wahkiakum County Ferry on

, to SR 4, also referred to as the Ocean Beach Highway, in the

of Cathlamet. The route connects

, which is served by the county ferry, and Cathlamet. The

Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington. Established in 1905, it is ...

(WSDOT) found in 2007 that, on average, more than 2,800 motorists utilize the road daily south of the northern terminus in Cathlamet, making the highway the second busiest state route in the county, after SR 4 at Boege Road, which more than 4,100 motorists utilize daily.

SR 409 originates at the ferry dock on Puget Island which serves as the northern end of the Wahkiakum County Ferry. From the dock, the road travels north past the island's interior, before turning northwest to parallel the

. After intersecting Little Island Road, the highway immediately turns onto the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge spanning over the Cathlamet Channel. Once SR 409 exits off the bridge in Cathlamet, it becomes Front Street. Later, after intersecting River Street and Columbia Street, the highway becomes Main Street, the designation used from the intersection point to SR 4.

Ferry

The year-round Wahkiakum County Ferry, designated ''Wahkiakum'', runs from

to the southern terminus of SR 409 at Puget Island. The ferry connects SR 409 to a road that connects to U.S. Route 30, which runs across Oregon; Wahkiakum County began running the ferry in 1962, on a route from Westport to Puget Island. The ferry travels more than eighteen trips per day, and runs from 5:00 am to 10:15 pm and holds up to nine vehicles. The ferry costs 50¢ for foot passengers, $1 for bicycles, $2 for motorcycles, and $3 for passenger cars and other vehicles under . Vehicles over cannot travel on the ferry; motorhomes, large trucks and trailers are allowed on the ferry for a fare determined by length. Frequent Traveler Tickets can be purchased for $40 (22 trips) and $75 (44 trips) for vehicles under . The first ferry launched in June 1925, when Walter Coates bought two ferries and began to operate them on two different routes, including the current one and a route from Puget Island to Cathlamet. The county later replaced the Puget Island – Cathlamet route with the Puget Island – Cathlamet Bridge in 1939.

History

Bridge (1925–1939)

In June 1925, Walter Coates began a ferry service across the

, from

to Cathlamet. The original ferry was later replaced by the ''Cathlamet'', which could load cars. In 1932, Coates sold the ferry service, fearing that the newly completed Ocean Beach Highway, soon to be SR 4, would press drivers to the competing Astoria–Megler Ferry. In 1939, the year the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge opened, ferry service ceased on the Puget Island – Cathlamet run. The Julia Butler Hansen Bridge, which currently carries the route of SR 409, which will be designated in 1964, from Puget Island to Cathlamet, opened in August 1939. The bridge, initially named the Puget Island – Cathlamet Bridge, was later renamed to honor

, who served in the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

from 1939 until 1960, and

for the third congressional district from 1960 until 1974. Lacey V. Murrow, R. W. Finke and Clark H. Eldridge designed the bridge, which spanned and consisted of four steel spans when first constructed. Steel comprises the majority of the truss bridge's structure.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

commenced the five-day celebration of the bridge's opening with a ribbon cutting, remotely controlled from the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

via

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

Designation (1943–present)

After a reconstruction of the Primary and Secondary Highways in 1943, the road that later became SR 409 was established as Secondary State Highway 12F (SSH 12F). SSH 12F became SR 409 in 1964 during the 1964 highway renumbering, in which the WSDOT replaced the previous system of Primary and Secondary Highways with a new system called State Routes, which is still in use today.

Major intersections

References

External links

Highways of Washington State
{{Good article 409 Transportation in Wahkiakum County, Washington