Central Oregon's roads were primitive during the early 1900s, and until the 1920s U.S. Highway 97 was a collection of unpaved roads. Before the Crooked River (High) Bridge was built in 1926, the only nearby crossing was a small one-lane wooden structure called the Trail Crossing about a mile upstream, and the Oregon Trunk Railway Bridge was the only structure crossing the Crooked River Gorge. The Crooked River (High) Bridge, designed by Oregon bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough, was 464 feet long and rose 295 feet above the river, making it the nation's highest single arch span when constructed. McCullough designed it to blend with the rugged landscape and harmonize with the Oregon Trunk Line Railway Bridge downstream, while meeting the needs of the 20th century. For more than 70 years it was the only automobile crossing of the Crooked River Gorge, but by the late 1990s increased traffic, larger vehicles, and heavier loads had made it obsolete as the Oregon Department of Transportation began construction of a new bridge. Today it is open to pedestrian traffic as part of the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint.