Historic Bridges of the U.S.

Photos

< Previous (1 of 3) Next >

Steel Bridge

from the west bank of the Willamette River

Photo taken by Michael Goff on April 11, 2008

< Previous (2 of 3) Next >

Steel Bridge

photo taken from the Broadway Bridge

Photo taken by Michael Goff on April 11, 2008

< Previous (3 of 3) Next >

Steel Bridge

from the east bank of the Willamette River

Photo taken by Michael Goff on September 29, 2008

Overview: Through truss bridge over Willamette River on OR 99W in Portland
Location: Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1912
Builders: - Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Co. (Contractor/Owner)
- Waddell & Harrington (Engineers)
Design: The Steel Bridge is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical lift bridge in North America, after the nearby Hawthorne Bridge.
At low river levels the lower deck is 26 ft above the water and 163 ft of vertical clearance is provided when both are raised. Because of the independent lifts, the lower deck can be raised to 72 ft, telescoping into the upper deck but not disturbing it.
Information from Multnomah County and Wikipedia
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 299.9 ft.
Total length: 799.9 ft.
Deck width: 49.9 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 17.8 ft.
Recognition: Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude: +45.52750, -122.66889 (decimal degrees)
45°31'39" N, 122°40'08" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/525856/5041604 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Portland
Inventory number: BH 29900 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 01/2005): Deck condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 68.1 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2004): 23,278