BURNSIDE BRIDGE

The 'Burnside Bridge' is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.
The original Burnside Bridge was a swing span bridge that opened in 1894. The replacement was part of a $4.5 million bond that also included the construction of the Ross Island and Sellwood bridges. The public would later learn that the contract was given for $500,000 more than the lowest bid. Three Multnomah County commissioners were recalled as a result of the scandal, and a new engineering company assumed control of the project.
The bridge was opened on May 28, 1926 at a final cost of $4.5 million (including approaches). It is the only Willamette River bridge in Portland that was designed with input from an architect.^[1] This led to the Italian Renaissance towers and decorative metal railings. The bascule system was designed by Joseph Strauss and the principal engineer for the bridge construction was Gustav Lindenthal.^[2]
Electric streetcar tracks were removed in the 1940s. In 1995 one of the 6 lanes was removed to accommodate new bicycle lanes. From March until November of 2002 the bridge went through a $2.1 million seismic retrofit, making it the first bridge operated by Multnomah County to receive earthquake protection.
The bridge is currently under construction in order to replace the deck.^[3] The electric streetcar tracks, removed in the 1940s, are now visible again. This project is budgeted at $9 million and scheduled to be complete in late 2007.^[4]
Including approaches, the Burnside has a total length of 2,308 ft (703 m) and a 251 ft (76.5 m) center span. While lowered this span is normally 64 ft (20 m) above the river. The deck is made of concrete, which factors in it being one of the heaviest bascule bridges in the United States.^[5] The counterweights, housed inside the two piers, weigh 1,700 tons. The lifting is normally controlled by the Hawthorne Bridge operator, but an operator mans the west tower during high river levels. In 1891 Burnside Street was changed from "B" street to take the name of Dan Burnside, a local businessman who was a proponent of the 1866 dredging of the Willamette River. In the 1990s the Burnside Bridge was made a Regional Emergency Transportation Route, the one non-freeway bridge to be used by emergency vehicles.
The bridge provides shelter for a "home-made" skatepark under the east end^[6], and the Portland Saturday Market is held most weekends under the west end.

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References

External links

References

1. Burnside Bridge
2. Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon, , Dwight A., Smith, Oregon Historical Society Press, , ISBN 0-87595-205-4
3. Burnside Bridge Span Rehabilitation
4. County gears up to do bridge work Jim Redden
5. The Portland Bridge Book, , Sharon, Wood, Oregon Historical Society, , ISBN 0-87595-211-9
6. Portland's Burnside Skatepark

External links

★ Multnomah County: Burnside Bridge

★ SkateOregon: Burnside Project