November 28, 2012___________________________
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The Burnside Bridge over the Willamette River was one of four downtown spans that were listed last week on the National Register of Historic Places.
Four bridges named to national register
Four historic bridges in Portland, a city often affec
tionately referred to as Bridgetown because o f its
bridges, have been listed in the National Register of
Historic Places. The four represent an impressive
range o f bridge technology used nationally during the
20th century.
"Listing four of Portland's bridges in the National
Register o f Historic Places recognizes just how impor
tant these structures are for their engineering and for
their role in the city's rich history," said Robert Hadlow,
a senior historian for the Oregon Department of Trans
portation. "Bridges have connected Portlanders on
both sides o f the river since the 1880s and helped make
Portland the vibrant city that it is today."
The bridges -- Broadway, Burnside, Hawthorne and
Morrison — are located on a 1.5 mile stretch of the
Willamette River. All are owned and maintained by
Multnomah County.
The Hawthorne Bridge of 1910 was strikingly large
for its time and built for horse and street-car systems.
The vertical-lift truss bridge was converted by the
1950s to serve automobile and bus traffic. The City of
Portland reported earlier this month that more than a
half million bike trips were logged on it from August-
October of this year..
When the Burnside Bridge was opened in 1926, it
featured four lanes for motor vehicles and two to serve
the trolley system. It is the first drawbridge to rely upon
a concrete deck, estimated to weigh 5,000 tons, for its
movable span.
The Broadw ay Bridge was opened in 1913. Also
a draw bridge system , its tim ber decking was re
placed in 1948 with steel grating. O riginally painted
with red lead paint, it was repainted black in 1949.
Its color changed again in 1963 under a new schem e
devised to add color and diversity to Portland's
many bridges.
The newest bridge, Morrison, opened in 1958 at the
location of two previous bridges. Its design incorpo
rates of new technical details in the pier design and a
post-World War II aesthetic that distinguishes it from
earlier bascule designs.
The Portland bridges were nominated because of
the significant political, economic, commercial and
social forces that governed their design, location, and
construction over six decades; and their national engi
neering signi