In April, 1918, the State Highway Department made a reconnaissance survey over the route from Burns to Vale. All possible routes were covered in the survey and reported upon fully to the State Highway Engineer and the Commission. The investigation resulted in the establishing of the route from Burns direct to Crane and down the Malheur River through River Side, Juntura, Harper and Vale. This survey was made by M. O. Bennett, division engineer for the State Highway Department. HOOD RIVER COUNTY Grading--Cascade Locks to Hood River That section of the Columbia River Highway from the Multnomah County Line to Hood River passes through the narrowest part of the Columbia River Gorge through the Cascade Range. The steep river banks rise directly up from the water's edge for a large part of the distance, so the space for both railroad and highway is necessarily restricted. At many points, the right of way of the railroad and highway is contiguous and construction under these conditions involved extremely heavy work which added materially to the cost. [Illustration: THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY WEST OF LINDSAY IN HOOD RIVER COUNTY] Previous to 1915, there was no road through the County, but from the proceeds of a bond issue of $75,000, the County built on State standards a roadway to connect the uncompleted portions. In 1915, the State built about one mile, including the Mitchell Point Tunnel, one of the many scenic features of the Columbia River Highway. One mile of pavement adjoining the Multnomah County pavement was built in 1916 by Mr. S. Benson. There remained about fourteen miles which require improvement, and on August 7, 1917, contracts were awarded to A. D. Kern for grading of these remaining sections to bring to standard grade and alignment. This improvement eliminated Ruthton Hill, with its narrow, steep grades, three railroad crossings, a narrow, steep grade near Wyeth and the improvement through the village of Cascade Locks to the end of the pavement. The work was divided as follows: Cascade Locks Section, 8.2 miles; Viento Section, 3.6 miles; Ruthton Hill Section, 4.2 miles. These contracts were completed in September, 1918. Due to the close proximity to the railroad tracks, the work required extreme care and watchfulness but was accomplished without accident and without delays to railroad traffic. The costs of construction for each of the three sections follows: DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT--GRADING--CASCADE LOCKS SECTION