Iconic Tri-Cities cable bridge about to turn 50. Time for a flashy makeover?

The cable bridge has been doing its thing without complaint since it was dedicated in September 1978: Carrying traffic across the Columbia River between Pasco and Kennewick.

Once Washington Gov. Dixie Lee Ray and U.S. Speaker of the House Tom Foley of Spokane stepped aside on that momentous day, motorists made their way across the 2,503-foot span.

The flow of traffic has never let up.

Along the way, the bridge became the signature landmark for the region, endlessly photographed, studied and stamped on everything from city logos to calendars to hotel room art.

Now, officials in Pasco and Kennewick and the cable bridge’s many fans believe it can play a bigger role as it approaches its 50th birthday in 2028: A poetic backdrop for dynamic light shows.

Bulldog purple?

Programmable LED lights could soon illustrate a gridiron showdown between Pasco and Kennewick.

Bulldog purple and Lion orange could be splashed across the soaring cables.

Holidays coming up?

Imagine a red-white-and-blue display for the Fourth of July, golden tones at Thanksgiving or pastel ones at Easter.

The possibilities are endless. And efforts to make it happen are picking up momentum.

This month, the city of Pasco, the lead agency for the cross-river collaboration to bring modern, efficient and fun lighting to the structure, invited engineering firms to submit qualifications to design, promote and identify funding sources for the project.

The consultant’s work is paid for by $25,000 contributions from the cities of Kennewick and Pasco and the ports of Kennewick and Pasco.

The project itself could cost $2 million, according to unofficial guestimates.

Reclaim the spotlight

If the effort succeeds, programmable LED lights will replace the 144 sodium vapor lights installed about 20 years ago.

The massive lights illuminate the bridge cables wrapped in white taping, except for special occasions such as ovarian cancer awareness events when teal-colored lenses are bolted on.

The illumination project is the brainchild of Kathy Lampson, Karen Miller and Deb Culverhouse, who began promoting the idea to civic groups and government agencies in 2021.

They told intrigued port and city leaders it was time for the cable bridge to reclaim the spotlight.

It was, after all, a thrilling breakthrough in American bridge building in 1978.

It was the first major cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and the second largest concrete cable-stayed bridge in the world that year, according to Arvid Grant, the engineer who designed it. The design featured support by cables of different lengths — a design never built before in the U.S. at the time.

Similar structures followed, often with more flash and bang. Portland dedicated the Tilikum Crossing on the Willamette River in 2015. The city built a light festival around that bridge.

Hector Cruz, vice president of development & community for Visit Tri-Cities, took the lead on the cable bridge project, formally called the Ed Hendler Bridge, after the former Pasco mayor.

The interlocal agreement signed last year set the stage to bring on a consultant to turn a local dream into a plan of action. Cruz called it an exciting and important step forward.

Not just spectacle

Lighting up the bridge is about more than spectacle.

The bridge was built to promote the downtowns of Pasco and Kennewick. Drawing attention to it could help it achieve its original mission.

It could draw visitors to Clover Island in Kennewick and Osprey Pointe in Pasco, Cruz said. Their respective ports are investing heavily into turning both sites into visitor destinations.

Whatever is done must comply with Washington State Department of Transportation safety rules.

The bridge was a collaboration between the two cities, who pledged gas tax revenue to pay for it.

WSDOT took it over in the early 1990s and it carries state Highway 397.

This story was originally published May 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Wendy Culverwell

Tri-City Herald

Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications in Washington and Oregon. She earned a degree in English and economics from the University of Puget Sound. Support my work with a digital subscription