A new era dawned for Clark County when the Interstate 205 Glenn Jackson Bridge opened on December 15, 1982, after five and a half years of construction. On opening day the governors of Oregon and Washington joined ribbons to mark completion of the 11,750-foot bridge of gracefully curved concrete.
Suddenly remote parts of east Clark County were within minutes of a freeway link to Oregon. Attracted by lower housing costs, people started moving into the county in droves. The explosive growth continued in east Vancouver during the 1990s. In 1997 the average number of daily crossings on the I-205 Bridge eclipsed the I-5 Bridge for the first time.
With the annexation of a large chunk of eastern Clark County, Vancouver became the fourth largest city in Washington.
