Oregon City Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oregon City Bridge | |
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| Crosses | Willamette River |
| Locale | Oregon City to West Linn, Oregon, USA |
| Maintained by | Oregon DOT |
| Design | half-through arch of hollow box girder construction |
| Longest span | 360 ft (110 m) |
| Total length | 745 ft (227 m) |
| Opening date | December 28, 1922 |
| Maps and aerial photos | |
The Oregon City Bridge is a steel arch bridge spanning the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, United States. It was built and is owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation as part of Oregon Route 43 and is the second southernmost Willamette bridge in the Portland metropolitan area, after the I-5 bridge in Wilsonville.
The bridge is 745 ft (227 m) in length and 28 ft (8½ m) wide with a 360 ft (110 m) long main span that provides 49 ft (15 m) of vertical clearance at low river levels. The narrow width causes problems for the two bus lines and other big vehicles that cross it, often requiring traffic going in the other direction to stop. In addition, it is the only bridge in Oregon to be encased in gunite, which protects it from corrosion due to the sulfur dioxide emissions from paper mills south of the bridge. The concrete look was favored by bridge designer Conde McCullough, designer of 500 Oregon bridges. His signature detailing is evident in the obelisk pylons with sconced light fixtures, ornate railings, and Art Deco piers.[1]
The Oregon City Bridge is just downstream from the 40 ft tall Willamette Falls and the Willamette Falls Locks, the oldest navigational locks in the United States. Just downstream is the Abernethy Bridge and Interstate 205.
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[edit] History
The bridge was built as a replacement of a pedestrian suspension bridge constructed in 1888. The old bridge was used by workers constructing the new arch's box steel ribs.[2] It was opened on December 28, 1922 at a cost of $300,000.[3]
The piers were designed to accommodate public restrooms: decks widen at the piers to provide room for the stairways that descend to the restrooms. Repeated vandalism led to the closure of the restrooms in 1937.
As of 2000 it carried 12,800 vehicles per day, which represents only a 40% growth in traffic since 1953, when a public debate was held about building a parallel bridge next to the existing bridge. While the Oregon City Bridge did not get twinned, the Abernethy Bridge opened in 1970 and has since become the major route through the area.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as the "Willamette River (Oregon City) Bridge (No. 357)") on July 1, 2005.[4]
[edit] Gallery
 Oregon City bridge as seen from McLoughlin Promenade |
 Interior of bridge with bottom of Oregon City Municipal Elevator visible |
 Looking up at Oregon City Bridge from Frontier Street in West Linn |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Smith, Dwight A.; Norman, James B.; Dykman, Pieter T. (1989). Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon. Oregon Historical Society Press, 96. ISBN 0-87595-205-4.
- ^ Hadlow, Robert W. (2001). Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans: C.B. McCullough, Oregon's Master Bridge Builder. Oregon State University Press, 51-53. ISBN 0-87071-534-8.
- ^ Wood, Sharon (2001). The Portland Bridge Book. Oregon Historical Society. ISBN 0-87595-211-9.
- ^ National Register of Historic Places Listings. National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
- Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record. Willamette River Bridges Recording Project (HAER OR-31). National Park Service and ODOT, 1992.
[edit] External links
- Oregon City Bridge (with a link to an Microsoft Word document about the bridge), from the website of the state of Oregon
- Built in America list with link to bridge information, from the Library of Congress website
- Photo of 1888 suspension bridge, from a bridge fan's website
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