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 | through arch of hollow box girder construction |
| Total length | 745 ft (227 m) |
| Longest span | 360 ft (110 m) |
| Opened | December 28, 1922 |
| Coordinates | 45°21′33″N 122°36′35″W / 45.35907°N -122.60969°ECoordinates: 45°21′33″N 122°36′35″W / 45.35907°N -122.60969°E |
The Oregon City Bridge is a steel through 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 Boone 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 (12 m) 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] Construction was made difficult by the great depth of the river at the bridge site and by the water traffic during construction. Construction workers used the cables of the old bridge to support the arch prior to completion by running cables from the arch, over the cables to an anchor on the far side. Once the new arch was completed, the old suspension bridge was dismantled.[3] It was opened on December 28, 1922 at a cost of $300,000.[4]
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.
The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as the Willamette River (Oregon City) Bridge (No. 357) on July 1, 2005.[5]
[edit] Current use
As of 2000[update] 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.
In January 2010, the bridge will undergo a two-year rehabilitation process, and will be closed to automobile use. Traffic will be diverted to the Abernethy Bridge downstream. This closure is expected to negatively impact business in downtown Oregon City and to greatly increase traffic congestion on Interstate 205.[citation needed] The Oregon Department of Transportation originally intended to close the bridge to all use while under reconstruction, however local concern about bicycle and pedestrian safety on the Abernethy Bridge has caused ODOT to reconsider these plans, and provide for bicycle and pedestrian alternatives while the bridge is undergoing reconstruction.[6]
[edit] Gallery
 Oregon City bridge as seen from McLoughlin Promenade |
 View from McLoughlin Promenade in October 2009 |
 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. p. 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. pp. 51–53. ISBN 0-87071-534-8.
- ^ "Old Bridge, Doomed, Helps to Build Successor". Popular Science Monthly. November 1922. http://books.google.com/books?id=pSkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=%22popular+science%22+1922&lr=&as_brr=3#PPA39,M1. Retrieved 23 January 2009.
- ^ 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. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/listings/20050805.HTM. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ Zheng, Yuxing; Colin Miner (September 28, 2009). "Oregon City-West Linn Bridge to close for two years". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/index.ssf/2009/09/oregon_city-west_linn_bridge_t.html. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- 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
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oregon City Bridge |
- 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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