Portland Water Works Bridge

Truly, I agree Tony. The cost of a new bridge at this length is very affordable in DNREC eyes. It needs some work at splice plates and pin connections, new pins and big cranes.

Well, I still say they're Fools for letting it go!

...But Happy to see it go somewhere it'll be appreciated!

Nice save Juls, Nels and the gang!!

Relocated to sto rage in Delaware. Future dates are uncertain but it is a future and we are happy about that.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/07/histori...

Successful move to storage with an option to purchase. Saved. Photo of Julie Bowers and Tyler Bullen (great great great grandson)

The plaque is still attached. The plans are that Portland Water Bureau gets the original and they want several casts. We may be able to start casting signs as fund raising opportunities. Pretty fun.

Was just contacted by the grandson of the builder, Tyler Bullen who is very grateful that this bridge will be preserved. The contract has been signed on the west coast and we have 90 days to get it off the water works property. They want the signage which we will replicate.

Not really iffy but if they are interested they should contact us as we have a scope of work done for this bridge. It has been read twice at Portland city council and the plan is a bridge park somewhere.

It will be scrapped if this doesn't go through but I think we are good.

Julie

641.260.1262

First learned of this bridge from the December Oregonian article. Sounded like the plan to move it east was iffy. I contacted the Washington Trails Commission and suggested that it would be a good replacement for the washed out bridge on the Klickitat river at Suburbia. This is the only break in the 31 mile length of the Klickitat trail. I have learned that there is interest on the WTC board and they will discuss it further after the holidays. The Klickitat river is only 65?? miles from the Sandy river and would be a fitting place for this historic bridge. The enclosed pictures are of the tarp covered components of the bridge.

News from the West Coast

This job will be going to BACH Steel and blasting in Michigan before on to it's next home if all goes well.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/12/histori...

Tony,

The report stated that since the adjacent Lusted Road Bridge already had pedestrian facilities and pedestrian traffic volumes were low, the justification for leaving the bridge in place as a pedestrian structure was not sufficient.

I agree it will be a great local loss, but knowing the truss will be preserved is a great victory!

Great news Julie, glad you could make the connection before the bridge was melted down! Cheers!

With all of the local history surrounding this bridge... Portland is ABSOLUTELY crazy if they let this bridge leave the area!

Of course, with this being in the area of a park, I'm at a loss of understanding as to why this wasn't simply converted to a pedestrian bridge!

It sounded like this save was "just in time"! Also known as Sandy River Bridge, Workin' Bridges has signed a letter of intent to save this bridge for a new client. A Scope of Work and Estimate is being prepared and a big move planned. The end result - another very historic bridge is to be saved using best practices. We are very excited but as always cautious until the final documents are signed and our client reveals their intents regarding historic bridges.

cheers!

At that time that would have been how they did names. I have seen it on tombstones, in books and signed documents. It probablt gad to do with space and the handwritten beautiful script. So use both but don't just change the names.

Is it really Chas F. Loweth, or should it be Charles Frederick Loweth?

The only two other Bullen Bridge Co. bridges in Oregon that I am aware of were both originally part of the same bridge. It was the original Burnside Bridge in Portland. Attached is an article from the Oregonian about the opening of that bridge in 1894.

Attachment #1 (application/zip; 119,133 bytes)

Two other bridges showed up in a search for Bullen in Oregon.

You might check with Mike Goff at ODOT.

This bridge was built by my great great grandfather! The information I have is very limited coming from the Colorado State Highway Department. Do you know where I might find information of other bridges built by Bullen Bridge Company throughout the state? I know they were also in eastern Oregon. - Sharon Bullen Coxen

My in-laws live about a mile or two from this site, so I will be up in the Sandy area in a week. I will try to stop by and get some "after" photos and maybe some new shots of the Lusted Road Bridge. It was pretty disheartening seeing the oldest serving bridge in Oregon dismantled. They did take care in dismantling the old bridge, so hopefully we will actually see it rebuilt near Kelly Point as planned.

Here is what's left at this scene:

http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?a=322608&c=396...

I am also concerned that with a move, the approach system would be discarded. While not as important as the main span, it is still an important and unusual part of the bridge.

Yes, and the dreaded "Location TBD" concerns me. I always favor leaving an historic bridge in place unless it is PROVEN not to be feasible. However, I feel a plan should be firmly in place before any move occurs.

I am concerned. In another area it talks about "removal" of the bridge? So what is going on here? This is an extremely rare bridge for which preservation (preferably in place) is essential. If they are relocating the pipes to a tunnel, it seems to me the bridge could just be left in place.

Beware bridges owned by non-transportation agencies. They tend to be even less aware than highway agencies to the importance and feasibility of historic bridge preservation. Michigan lost its only bedstead because it ended up being owned by the drain commission who wouldn't know a historic bridge if it collapsed on them.

Looks as though the Portland Water Bureau is planning on replacing this bridge with an underground pipe system. I truly hope the bridge is relocated as is stated in the project overview. This would make a fantastic pedestrian bridge, and give people a better chance to view this unique structure.