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THE OFFICIAL WEBPAGE OF ROBERT D. WEST |
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Willamette River Bridges
Because Portland straddles the Willamette River, many bridges are needed throughout the city to cross it. This page lists all the bridges across the Willamette River from Oregon City to the Columbia River, in order, starting in the south. Every bridge is distinctly different, and many of them hold a notable distinction in the world. This page includes links to historic photographs from the Salem Public Library's Oregon Historic Photograph Collections, the Oregon State Library Photograph Collection, the ODOT History Center, the Oregon Historical Society, the Portland Auditor's Office, Portland Waterfront History, Thomas Robinson's Historic Photo Archive at HistoricPhotoArchive.com and HistoricPhotoArchive.net, Dave's Electric Railroads, Postcard Views of Southern Pacific's Shasta Route at shastaroute.railfan.net, The Friends of SP 4449 and Multnomah County Genweb.
Oregon City Bridge
construction. The bridge was designed by Conde B. McCullough, and the bridge's Art Deco details are typical of McCullough's designs. The bridge features a 360-foot half-through arch main span, and is one of only four of this type of bridge in Oregon. Though the bridge structure appears to be built entirely of concrete, the arch is actually steel and is covered with a protective layer of sprayed-on concrete called gunite. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 1, 2005.
Historical Photos: Oregon City Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) Oregon City Suspension Bridge, 1890 (Oregon State Library) Sternwheeler under Oregon City Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) Sternwheeler under Oregon City Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) Oregon City Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) Oregon City Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) View of Oregon City showing Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) View of Oregon City showing Suspension Bridge (Oregon State Library) View from West Linn showing old courthouse & suspension bridge (Oregon State Library) View of Oregon City showing new Bridge, February 1961 (Salem Public Library) View of Oregon City showing new bridge, February 1961 (Salem Public Library)
George Abernethy Memorial Bridge
This steel plate and box girder bridge opened on May 3, 1970 carrying Interstate 205's 6 lanes across the Willamette River. It was built near the location of Abernethy's home. The bridge is made up of 15 spans and 60 girders. The bridge is 2,727 feet long. The longest span is 430 feet long, and maximum vertical clearance at low river level is 85 feet. The entire bridge is built on a slope such that southbound traffic is going uphill for the entire length of the bridge and for a half-mile beyond. The bridge was built at a cost of $15.9 million, and an $8 million seismic retrofit was done from 1999 to 2002. The bridge was designated the "George Abernethy Memorial Bridge" by the 1979 Oregon Legislature. George Abernethy arrived in
Oregon on June 2, 1840 as part of Jason Lee's Methodist Willamette Mission at Champoeg. He was involved in the series of meetings to form the Oregon Country's provisional government, and became the first provisional Governor in 1845. Abernethy served two terms as Governor, until 1849, when Oregon became a territory of the United States and the provisional government ceased to exist. Abernethy's home was located on the east bank on the Willamette River near Oregon City.
Lake Oswego Railroad Bridge
curved 668-foot wood trestle. Total length with approaches is 1,378 feet. The line between
Milwaukie and Lake Oswego was completed and opened in 1910. This route
was originally built by the Southern Pacific Railroad,
Sellwood Bridge
Construction Company of Portland. The bridge was built at a cost of $541,000. The two-lane bridge features a 24-foot roadway with a single 4'-3" sidewalk on the north side. It has 75 feet of vertical clearance. It is the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon. Cracks discovered in the approaches in January 2004 led to the weight limit being lowered to 10 tons. Various plans for repairing or replacing the bridge are under consideration.
Ross Island Bridge
Though it looks like a deck arch bridge, the Ross Island Bridge is the only cantilever truss bridge in Oregon. It was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, built by Booth & Pomeroy at a cost of $1.9 million and opened on December 21, 1926. The entire bridge is over 3,700 feet long. The cantilever truss is 1,819 feet long, with a 535-foot main span. The Ross Island Bridge carries US Highway 26. Despite its name, it does not physically connect to Ross Island in any way and is located about 800 feet north of the island. It was originally owner by Multnomah County, but was transferred to the Oregon Department of Transportation in 1976.
Marquam Bridge
The Marquam Bridge is a double-deck cantilever bridge that carries Interstate 5, designed and built by the Oregon Department of Transportation at a cost of $14 million. The lower southbound deck opened on October 4, 1966, and the northbound upper deck opened on October 18, 1966. The bridge is 1,042 feet long; the center span is 440 feet long and the other two spans are each 301 feet long. The bridge has vertical clearance of 130 feet to the lower level, and the upper level is 20 feet higher. The bridge is 57 feet wide. It is named for Philip Augustus Marquam, an early Portland resident and real estate developer, and represented Multnomah County in the Oregon House of Representatives.
Historical Photos: Marquam Bridge under construction, 1964 (Portland Auditor's Office)
Hawthorne Bridge
The Hawthorne Bridge is the oldest operating vertical lift bridge in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. It is named for Dr. James C. Hawthorne, founder of the Oregon State Hospital. It replaced two previous Madison Bridges built here in 1891 and 1900. The five-span bridge is 1,382 feet long, with a 244-foot vertical-lift span. Each of the two counterweights weighs 450 tons. The 72-foot-wide deck includes two traffic lanes inside the through trusses and an outboard lane and sidewalk on each side.
Historical Photos: Late-19th century view of Madison Bridge & end of Morrison Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) View showing a previous Madison Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Hawthorne Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Postcard View of Sternwheeler under Hawthorne Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb) Postcard View of Hawthorne Bridge fully raised (Multnomah County Genweb) Streetcar on the Hawthorne Bridge (Dave's Electric Railroads) Streetcar on the Hawthorne Bridge (Dave's Electric Railroads) Hawthorne Bridge (Oregon State Library) Aerial View of Hawthorne Bridge (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) Trolleybus on the Hawthorne Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Hawthorne Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center) Hawthorne Bridge being repainted from yellow ochre to green in 1998-99 (Multnomah County)
Morrison Bridge
Stark Street Ferry out of
business. The second Morrison Bridge was a swing bridge built in 1905. This Morrison Bridge was completed on May 24, 1958. It is the largest mechanical device in Oregon, with 36-foot tall gears driving 940-ton counterweights in the piers. The six-lane bridge includes a 284-foot draw span and two 238-foot steel deck truss spans. It is named for John L. Morrison, a Scottish immigrant who built the first home on Morrison Street.
Historical Photos: Late 19th century view of Morrison Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) Morrison Bridge, 1892 (Portland Auditor's Office) Postcard View of old Morrison Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb) Postcard View showing old Morrison Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb) Postcard View showing old Morrison Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) Approach to old Morrison Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Aerial View including old Morrison Bridge, circa 1930 (Oregon Historical Society) Approach to second Morrison Bridge, September 11, 1942 (Salem Public Library) View of Waterfront showing end of second Morrison Bridge, circa 1950 (Salem Public Library) Old Morrison Bridge, circa 1950 (Salem Public Library) Journal Building & Old Morrison Bridge, May 16, 1954 (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) New Morrison Bridge under construction next to old bridge (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) Aerial View showing Morrison Bridge under construction next to old bridge (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) Harbor Drive, the Journal Building and the new Morrison Bridge in the 1950s (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Morrison Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center) Aerial View showing Morrison Bridge, 1974 (Oregon Historical Society)
Burnside Bridge
opened the east side to vast expansion of residential neighborhoods. The entire bridge is 2,308 feet long, with a 252 foot center span and two 268-foot steel deck truss spans. The bridge is 86 feet wide and originally featured six traffic lanes. One lane was removed in 1995 to make room for two bicycle lanes. Its concrete deck makes it one of the heaviest bascule bridges in the United States, and the counterweights in the piers weigh 1,700 tons.
Historical Photos: Burnside Bridge decorated for opening, 1926 (Portland Auditor's Office) Burnside Bridge, circa 1926 (Oregon Historical Society) Burnside Bridge open, January 31, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Burnside Bridge open, June 27, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Burnside Bridge, March 22, 1933 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Burnside Bridge, March 22, 1933 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Burnside Bridge, March 12, 1936 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) East End of Burnside Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center)
Steel Bridge
Historical Photos: Postcard View of Original Steel Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb) Postcard View of Original Steel Bridge (shastaroute.railfan.net/) Postcard View of Steel Bridge fully raised (shastaroute.railfan.net/) Postcard View of Steel Bridge (shastaroute.railfan.net/) Postcard View of Steel Bridge with Lower Deck raised (shastaroute.railfan.net/) Postcard View of Shasta Limited passenger train crossing the Steel Bridge (shastaroute.railfan.net/) Union Pacific's Pacific Limited with Steel Bridge in the background (Oregon Historical Society) Steel Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Mid-20th century view of the Steel Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) View of the Steel Bridge in the 1950s (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) Steel Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center) Steel Bridge during the 1964 Flood (ODOT History Center) Unrestored steam locomotive SP #4449 at east end of the Steel Bridge in 1974 (Friends of SP 4449) Late-20th century view of the Steel Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) Early-21st century view of the Steel Bridge (Portland Waterfront History)
Broadway Bridge
through truss spans. The spans on either side of the bascule span are each 295 feet long; the western approach spans are 267 and 282 feet long. The eastern approach span is a 180-foot Warren through truss span. Though originally painted black, the bridge has been painted Golden Gate Red for many years.
Historical Photos: Battleship Oregon passing the Broadway Bridge (under construction) in 1913 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Postcard View of ship passing under the Broadway Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) Postcard View of Broadway Bridge partially raised (Multnomah County Genweb) Broadway Bridge fully raised (Oregon Historical Society) Aerial View of Union Station and the Broadway Bridge (shastaroute.railfan.net/) Late-20th century view of the Broadway Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) Late-20th century view of the Broadway Bridge (Portland Waterfront History) Late-20th century view of ship passing under the Broadway Bridge (Portland Waterfront History)
Fremont Bridge
supervised by bridge engineer Ed Wortman. The bridge opened on November 11, 1973. The flags on top of the arch were added in 1976; the flags measure 15 by 25 feet and are on 50 foot poles. Though it is hard to tell, the Fremont Bridge is painted a very pale Celery Green. The Fremont Bridge is named for John Charles Frémont, who was a Military Governor of California, one of the first two United States Senators from California, the first Republican Presidential candidate and the first candidate of a major party to run on a platform opposing slavery, a Civil War General and a Governor of the Arizona Territory.
Historical Photos: Fremont Bridge arch under construction in 1973 (Portland Auditor's Office) Fremont Bridge under construction in 1973 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Fremont Bridge under construction (Oregon Historical Society) Fremont Bridge under construction in 1973 (Portland Auditor's Office) Fremont Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Aerial View of Portland showing the Fremont Bridge, June 1, 1988 (Wikipedia)
BNSF Railroad Bridge 5.1
1989, the main span was replaced with a 516-foot vertical lift span. It is the world's fourth highest vertical lift span with vertical clearance of 200 feet. It is currently owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.
Historical Photo: View showing Railroad Bridge 5.1 as a swing bridge, March 14, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com)
St. Johns Bridge
River.
At the time, it was the longest bridge across the Willamette River and
the longest suspension span west of Detroit, Michigan; it had the
highest clearance of any bridge in the United States, the longest
prefabricated cable rope strands, the tallest steel-frame reinforced
concrete piers (Pier #10 is the tallest, at 183 feet) and the first
application of aviation clearance lights. The bridge's color of Verde
Green was chosen by Steinman; the color was announced on St. Patrick's
Day, 1931. The St. Johns Bridge is said to have been his favorite of the
400 bridges he designed. The bridge was originally owned by
Multnomah County, but was
Historical Photos: Postcard View of St. Johns Ferry (Multnomah County Genweb) St. Johns Bridge under construction, June 1928 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge under construction, June 1928 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge under construction, July 1930 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge under construction, 1930 (Portland Auditor's Office) St. Johns Bridge Dedication (Oregon Historical Society) St. Johns Bridge, March 7, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge, March 7, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge, June 27, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge, June 27, 1932 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge, February 25, 1934 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) View from St. Johns Bridge Tower during painting, August 15, 1935 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) View from St. Johns Bridge Tower during painting, August 15, 1935 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) Night View of the St. Johns Bridge, 1935 (Portland Auditor's Office) Aerial view of St. Johns Bridge, February 21, 1940 (HistoricPhotoArchive.com) St. Johns Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) St. Johns Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) St. Johns Bridge (Oregon Historical Society) Postcard View of Battleship under St. Johns Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb) Battleship under St. Johns Bridge (Multnomah County Genweb) St. Johns Bridge in the early 1960s (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) St. Johns Bridge in the early 1960s (HistoricPhotoArchive.net) Ship passing under the St. Johns Bridge in the early 1960s (HistoricPhotoArchive.net)
Sauvie Island Bridge
concrete piers. The bridge was not designed to support the weight of modern trucks. Cracks were discovered in the approach spans in 2001, and repairs completed in 2002 allowed the bridge to remain in service until a new bridge could be constructed.
barge, supported by hydraulic jacks and a tropical hardwood called ekki. The move was originally scheduled for October 2007, but due to the availability of the Western Carrier, one of the few barges capable of both carrying the arch and fitting in Multnomah Channel, concerns about spawning salmon and other delays, subcontractor Dix/Norsar didn't take the arch on its 2-hour trip from Terminal 2 eight miles downriver to Sauvie Island until December 28. In transit, the bottom of the arch was about 90 feet above the water and the top of the arch 167 feet above the water. Multnomah County's 70-year-old senior bridge engineer Ed Wortman delayed his retirement to supervise the project. Wortman was the chief engineer in charge of lifting the main span of the Fremont Bridge in 1973, which was the largest bridge lift ever attempted at the time. Related Links: Willamette River Bridges of Portland from the Oregon Department of Transportation Willamette River Bridges from Multnomah County List of Crossings of the Willamette River from Wikipedia
Also See: PORTLAND PLACES - Historic Belmont Firehouse PORTLAND PLACES - Ankeny Square & Skidmore Fountain PORTLAND PLACES - Tom McCall Waterfront Park PORTLAND PLACES - Pioneer Courthouse Square PORTLAND PLACES - Willamette Shore Trolley PORTLAND PLACES - Oregon Convention Center PORTLAND PLACES - Brooklyn Roundhouse PORTLAND PLACES - Council Crest Park PORTLAND PLACES - Golf Junction PORTLAND PLACES - Hoyt Street Yard & Lovejoy Columns PORTLAND PLACES - Oaks Amusement Park PORTLAND PLACES - South Waterfront & Aerial Tram PORTLAND PLACES - Union Station PLACES - Antique Powerland, Brooks, Oregon PLACES - Kelso-Longview, Washington PLACES - Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon PLACES - Stevens Pass, Washington Wings of Freedom/2007 Rose Festival Fleet Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club All website content, including graphics and pictures are © Robert D. West unless otherwise noted. Content is not to be used out of the context of this webpage without expressed permission. Any opinions expressed herein are mine and are not necessarily shared by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, or anyone else.
Questions? Comments? Critiques? Corrections? Concerns? Email me at westr@msoe.edu. |