- Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6
Infobox Bridge
bridge_name=Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6
carries=2 railroad tracks
crosses=Columbia River
locale=Portland, OR ;Vancouver, WA
maint=BNSF Railway
design=Swing bridge
mainspan=convert|466|ft|m|0
length=convert|2800|ft|m|0
below=convert|33|ft|m|0
begin=February 8 ,1906
complete=July 24 ,1908
open=November 17 ,1908
traffic=63 freight, 10Amtrak per day
coordinates=coord|45|37|29|N|122|41|27|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title|name=Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6
lat=45.62473
long=-122.69085Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 is BNSF Railway's bridge across the
Columbia River , between Portland,Oregon , andVancouver, Washington . The bridge has a swing span, which pivots on its base to allow for the passage of larger ships. The bridge carries 2 railroad tracks, which are used by BNSF, Union Pacific, andAmtrak .History
In 1905,
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S), in cooperation with Great Northern Railway (GN), proposed a crossing of theColumbia River . They consulted Mr.Ralph Modjeski , a famous bridge builder of the time. Modjeski presented a plan to build a bridge in a direct line with the Willamette Drawbridge (which was also being planned by the railroads), and across the Columbia to rail facilities at Vancouver. OnNovember 14 ,1905 , the SP&S board approved Modjeski's recommendation. Plans for the bridge were submitted to theWar Department , and eventually approved in February 1906. The original plans did not include a drawspan, but industry was coming in fast on the Columbia, so one was added to the plans.The first work was performed on
February 8 ,1906 , when work crews began framing the caissons. Work was performed by theAmerican Bridge Company of New York. Construction took approximately 26 months. The bridge opened to traffic onNovember 17 ,1908 . This completed the SP&S route between Portland and Pasco.Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place =Columbia River
bridge = Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6
bridge signs = "BNSF Railway"
upstream =Interstate Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream =Lewis and Clark Bridge
downstream signs =
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.