Rating:
13 votes

Broadway Bridge

Multnomah County, Oregon

Photos 

Broadway Bridge

Photo taken by Michael Goff on December 10, 2009

Enlarge

BH Photo #150571

Map 

Street Views 

Description 

The Broadway Bridge is the first bascule span built in Portland and, at the time constructed, the longest in the United States. Its completion resulted in a dramatic shift in land values and business concentration in Portland. Those consequences profoundly influenced subsequent Willamette River bridge construction decisions. Ralph Modjeski, a premier American bridge engineer, designed the Bridge, incorporating the largest Rall-type bascule ever built, now one of the few surviving Rall mechanisms. Its Lovejoy Ramp, designed by Gustav Lindenthal in 1926-27, was removed during this recording project.

- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts 

Overview
Rall-Bascule lift bridge over Willamette River on Broadway Street in Portland
Location
Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1912; rehabilitated 1927
Builders
- Hamilton Construction of Springfield, Oregon (2011 - Street Car Construction Contractor)
- Mowat Construction Co. of Woodinville, Washington (2004 - Deck Rehabilitation Contractor)
- Pennsylvania Steel Co. of Steelton, Pennsylvania (Steel Erector)
- Ralph Modjeski of Bochnia, Poland (Engineer)
- Strobel Engineering of Chicago, Illinois (Bascule Designer) [also known as Strobel Steel Construction Co.]
- Theodor Rall of Chicago, Illinois
- Union Bridge & Construction Co. of Kansas City, Missouri (Contractor)
Railroads
- Portland Streetcar
- Streetcar
Design
Double leaf Rall Bascule Lift
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 304.1 ft.
Total length: 1,742.2 ft.
Deck width: 45.6 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 13.1 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 2012
Also called
Broadway Street Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+45.53167, -122.67417   (decimal degrees)
45°31'54" N, 122°40'27" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
10/525442/5042066 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Portland
Average daily traffic (as of 2010)
29,371
Inventory numbers
OR 06757 (Oregon Dept. of Transportation structure number)
NRHP 12000930 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 29856 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of July 2017)
Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 58.8 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

Bascule (1,109)
Built 1912 (909)
Built during 1910s (10,287)
Functionally obsolete (5,569)
Hamilton Construction (11)
Have street view (30,587)
Lally columns (426)
Movable (3,195)
Mowat Construction Co. (16)
Multnomah County, Oregon (127)
NR-listed (3,028)
Open (41,561)
Oregon (1,340)
Owned by county (22,053)
Pennsylvania Steel Co. (172)
 Portland Streetcar (2)
Portland, Oregon (78)
Rail-and-Road (403)
Railroad (17,179)
Rall Bascule Lift (9)
Ralph Modjeski (51)
Span length 250-500 feet (1,319)
Streetcar (292)
Strobel Engineering (1)
Strobel Steel Construction Co. (28)
Theodor Rall (9)
Total length 1000-2500 feet (2,063)
Union Bridge & Construction Co. (22)
Willamette River (64)

Update Log 

  • February 7, 2023: New photos from Mike Goff
  • October 16, 2021: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
  • October 22, 2019: New photos from Geoff Hubbs
  • October 26, 2018: New photos from Mike Goff
  • May 7, 2018: New photo from John Bernhisel
  • April 5, 2018: New photos from Richard Doody
  • November 25, 2017: New photo from Dana and Kay Klein
  • November 22, 2017: New photo from Dana and Kay Klein
  • February 10, 2017: New photo from Dana and Kay Klein
  • May 25, 2015: Updated by Luke: Added categories "Portland Streetcar", "Streetcar", "Railroad", "Rail-and-road"
  • October 10, 2014: New photos from Royce and Bobette Haley
  • July 10, 2014: New photos from Andrew Raker
  • September 7, 2010: New Street View added by Michael Goff
  • December 10, 2009: New photos from Michael Goff
  • April 20, 2009: Posted HAER photos
  • February 16, 2009: New photos from Mark Frazier
  • July 8, 2008: Updated by Michael Goff
  • July 7, 2008: New photos from Michael Goff

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
  • Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon - Dwight A. Smith, James B. Norman & Pieter T. Dykman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989
  • Mark Frazier - mfrazier404 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • HAER OR-22 - Broadway Bridge, Spanning Willamette River at Broadway Street, Portland, Multnomah County, OR
  • Bridges of Portland - Ray Bottenberg, Arcadia Publishing, 2007
  • The Portland Bridge Book - Sharon Wood Wortman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 2001
  • Douglas Butler
  • Andrew Raker
  • Royce and Bobette Haley - roycehaley111 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Dana and Kay Klein
  • Richard Doody
  • John Bernhisel - Johnmbernhisel [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Geoff Hubbs

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