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Center Street Bridge over the Willamette River in Salem, Oregon, 1945

Photographer: Ben Maxwell, 1945

Oregon State Archives, Salem Public Library, #117

View this photo at photos.salemhistory.net

Map

Description

Marion-Polk Inter County Bridge over Willamette River in Salem, Oregon. The bridge was also known as the Center Street Bridge. According to the Salem History Project web site: "This third Center Street Bridge was dedicated in a burst of patriotic fervor on July 30, 1918. The historical record shows that Frank Davey delivered the dedication address. Program Chairman was F.T. Wrightman assisted by W.H. Dancy. Others helping were Frank Smith, Marshal; Charles Archered was Auctioneer; and Henry W. Myers, head of the Willamette chapter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross was the beneficiary of the $3000 raised by the various concessions. These included postcards, lunches, and the privileges of being first. Chas. H. Vick and Elbert A. Thompson paid $500 to be the first to drive a vehicle across the bridge. The vehicle in question was a Fordson tractor. Mr. Vick owned the agency it came from. There was an afternoon parade that day and the local newspaper reported that an estimated 20,000 people watched it. (Salem's population at that time was about that number). Dedication of the bridge was on a platform underneath the east approach to the bridge. Following the dedication two Red Cross workers, Miss Catherine Fowle and Miss Gladys Bartholomew, raised semaphores allowing traffic to pass. "Little Miss Rowena Eyre" either scattered flowers on the roadway or pulled a ribbon that released them. Mrs. William Colder of Polk County paid $100 to be the first to turn on the lights illuminating the bridge."

(Oregon State Archives, Salem Public Library, Photo #12123 Description)

Facts

Overview: Lost cantilevered pony truss bridge over Willamette River on OR 22 EB
Location: Salem, Marion County, Oregon, and Polk County, Oregon
Status: Replaced by new bridge
History: Built 1917-18, Replaced 1953, Removed 1969
Builders: - Charles H. Purcell (Bridge Engineer)
- Coast Bridge Co. of Portland, Oregon (Steel Construction)
- Lewis W. Metzger (Design Engineer)
- Robert Wakefield (Contractor)
Design: The Center Street Bridge was multi-span truss bridge over the Willamette River designed by Lewis W. Metzger under the direction of Charles Purcell. The main span was a 156-foot cantilevered double intersecting polygonal Warren pony truss span. The main span was flanked by 363-feet of approach span from the east bank and 1313.7-feet from the west.
The east approach consisted of three 32-foot reinforced concrete deck girder spans followed by two steel Pratt deck trusses measuring at 113.5-foot and 153.5-foot respectively.
The west approach began with an 856-foot timber trestle with three steel Pratt deck trusses measuring 153.5-feet, 154.7-feet, and 153.5-feet.
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 156.0 ft.
Total length: 1,833.0 ft.
Deck width: 24.0 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 15.5 ft.
Also called: Marion-Polk Inter County Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +44.94417, -123.04306 (decimal degrees)
44°56'39" N, 123°02'35" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/496603/4976748 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Salem West
Inventory number: BH 46376 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log

November 17, 2011: Photo imported by Michael Goff
September 29, 2010: Added by Michael Goff

Sources

Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
Wikipedia

Comments

Center Street Bridge

Posted April 17, 2012, by Charles Mathias (cfmcfm [at] earthlink [dot] net)

You might want to check the removal date. I believe it was removed in the mid-1980's, not 1969.