Burnside Bridge

Infobox Bridge
bridge_name=Burnside Bridge

390px
carries=
crosses=Willamette River
locale=Portland, Oregon
maint=Multnomah County
id=02757
design=double-leaf "Strauss style" bascule
mainspan=251 ft (76.5 m)
length=1,382 ft (421.5 m)
width=73.8 ft (22.5 m)
clearance=
below=64 feet closed
open=May 28, 1926
(replaced 1894 bridge)
lat=45.52309
long=-122.66740

The Burnside Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.

Design

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. [ cite book | last= Wood | first= Sharon | title = The Portland Bridge Book | publisher = Oregon Historical Society | date = 2001| id= ISBN 0-87595-211-9 ] 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.

The bridge provides shelter for the initially unauthorized Burnside Skatepark under the east end, [ cite web | publisher= Dreamland Skateparks | title = Portland's Burnside Skatepark | url= http://www.dreamlandskateparks.com/burnside/index.html | accessdate = 2006-11-05 ] and the Portland Saturday Market is held most weekends under the west end.

History

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. 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 opened on May 281926 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. [ cite web| publisher = Multnomah County | title = Burnside Bridge | url= http://www2.co.multnomah.or.us/jsp/Public/EntryPoint?ch=2df4f35a679b7010VgnVCM1000003bc614acRCRD&ct=692856048e817010VgnVCM9206670ac614acRCRD | accessdate = 2006-11-05 ] 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. [ cite book | first = Dwight A. | last= Smith| coauthors = Norman, James B.; Dykman, Pieter T. | title = Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon | publisher = Oregon Historical Society Press | date = 1989 | pages = 118 | id = ISBN 0-87595-205-4 ]

Electric streetcar tracks were removed in the 1940s. In the 1990s the Burnside Bridge was made a Regional Emergency Transportation Route, the one non-freeway bridge to be used by emergency vehicles. In 1995 one of the six lanes was removed to accommodate new bicycle lanes. From March until November 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 was recently under construction in order to replace the deck. [ cite web | title = Burnside Bridge Span Rehabilitation | publisher = City of Portland | url= http://www.portlandonline.com/keepportlandmoving/index.cfm?c=41597&a=108893 | accessdate = 2006-10-05 ] The electric streetcar tracks, removed in the 1940s, were visible during the construction. This project was budgeted at $9 million and the majority of the work was completed on December 9, 2007. [ cite news | last = Redden | first = Jim | publisher = Portland Tribune | title = County gears up to do bridge work | date = December 13, 2005 | url = http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=33021 | accessdate = 2006-11-06 ] [ cite web |url=http://www2.co.multnomah.or.us/Public/EntryPoint?ct=58ba46f82b6d9010VgnVCM1000003bc614acRCRD |title=Burnside Bridge Lift Span Rehabilitation |accessdate=2008-04-05 |format= |work= ]

ee also

* List of crossings of the Willamette River

References

External links

* [http://www2.co.multnomah.or.us/jsp/Public/EntryPoint?ch=2df4f35a679b7010VgnVCM1000003bc614acRCRD&ct=692856048e817010VgnVCM9206670ac614acRCRD Multnomah County: Burnside Bridge]
* [http://www.skateoregon.com/Burnside/Burnside.html SkateOregon: Burnside Project]

Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place = Willamette River
bridge = Burnside Bridge
bridge signs =
upstream = Morrison Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream = Steel Bridge
downstream signs =