Sailing ships, the Willamette River, and Portland bridges
Portland was one of the busiest ports on the globe, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Let's take a look at our port, the river and some of our bridges.
Our bridges are beautiful, functional and one-of-a-kind.
Next up is the Hawthorne Bridge - And an In Depth Introduction.
FOLLOW ALONG WITH PICTURES
See Picture, Hawthorne Bridge.
Built in 1910, it is a truss bridge, and is tall enough for the tall masted sailing ships of old. A section of the bridge "lifts vertically", to allow the ships through.
Truss bridges are, frame works supporting the huge counter weights above, and are one of the oldest types of modern bridges.
This bridge is...
The oldest vertical lift truss bridge in North America,
the oldest bridge in Portland (1910).
In 1913, it carried 1,600 vehicles and 1,200 horse-drawn carriages a day.
On any given day now, it transports 30,000 vehicles, 8,000 bicycles, and 800 buses.
It crosses the Willamette River and is raised about 200 times per month.
The rope-and-pulley routine of Hawthorne’s early days has given way to a touch screen that starts the delicate mechanical dance. Gates lower, span locks release, engines rotate, and 1.8 million pounds of concrete eases toward the water, lifting the center span—and the bridge operator, along with the occasional stowaway—into the sky.
USS Blueback Submarine - Look upstream at the east side of the bridge at the USS Blueback submarine, along the left bank, half submerged, in front of the museum (OMSI). It was also the last non-nuclear submarine to join the Navy, is on the National Register of Historic Places and was featured in the movie ‘Hunt for Red October'. You can tour inside if you like.
Climb aboard the USS Blueback!
The bridge, is named after Dr. James Hawthorne, who headed the original Oregon State Insane Asylum at the end of what is now Hawthorne Boulevard from eighteen sixty two. Hawthorne Street originally was Insane Asylum street, or just Asylum street.
That was a crazy turn of event.
HAHAHAHA
Now, the Oregon State Insane Asylum is in Salem, built in 1883.
The film 'One flew over the Cuckoo's nest', was shot there. (also the setting of the novel by Ken Keysey).
The bridge was designed by John Waddell, inventor of the vertical lift bridge, and also designer of the Steel and Interstate bridges. This is only the third vertical lift bridge designed by Waddell (his two earlier lift bridges are out of service).
Dr. Hawthorne was known for his kindness toward his patients, and during the 21 years that he had charge of the Oregon State Hospital for the Insane, it became widely known and was regarded as one of the best institutions of its kind.
In eighteen ninety one - A private wooden toll bridge, known as the Madison Bridge, is built across the Willamette River at this spot.
Tolls are 2.5 cents per pedestrian and 5 to 15 cents for vehicles.
In 1900 - The original Madison Bridge is replaced by another timber structure, also with a swing-type movable span. This is the last bridge built using wood construction. It is weakened by a flood in 1908.
In 1910 - The Hawthorne Bridge opens on the site of the previous wooden bridge.
Cost of the new structure is just over $500,000. The structure includes concrete piers, steel truss spans, wooden roadway floor and wooden sidewalks.
It has a vertical lift span that opens high enough to clear tall-masted ships.
The impending Cascadia earthquake means it’s time to decide whether to retrofit the Burnside Bridge or replace it altogether—for about $500 million. The Hawthorne, with its twin 450-ton concrete counterweights, would be a catastrophe, but the price tag means the decision of what to do about it is for the next generation.
On the way back over the bridge, we'll look downstream at the black bridge, that looks just like this bridge.
That one is called the Steel Bridge -
That bridge is...
a double-lift drawbridge, they can raise the lower deck independently of the upper deck, allowing shorter river traffic to pass without disrupting the entire bridge; it is the ONLY double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the ENTIRE world.
It is the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after our Hawthorne Bridge.
It carries Union Pacific and Amtrak rail traffic and bicycle/pedestrian traffic on the lower deck, and cars and light rail MAX on the upper deck, making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world.
If we get the chance, we'll cross over that one as well.
NEXT IS, the Yamhill Historic District.
With many more.
Does anyone have any questions?
Let's take a look at our port, the river and some of our bridges.
Our bridges are beautiful, functional and one-of-a-kind.
Next up is the Hawthorne Bridge - And an In Depth Introduction.
FOLLOW ALONG WITH PICTURES
See Picture, Hawthorne Bridge.
Built in 1910, it is a truss bridge, and is tall enough for the tall masted sailing ships of old. A section of the bridge "lifts vertically", to allow the ships through.
Truss bridges are, frame works supporting the huge counter weights above, and are one of the oldest types of modern bridges.
This bridge is...
The oldest vertical lift truss bridge in North America,
the oldest bridge in Portland (1910).
In 1913, it carried 1,600 vehicles and 1,200 horse-drawn carriages a day.
On any given day now, it transports 30,000 vehicles, 8,000 bicycles, and 800 buses.
It crosses the Willamette River and is raised about 200 times per month.
The rope-and-pulley routine of Hawthorne’s early days has given way to a touch screen that starts the delicate mechanical dance. Gates lower, span locks release, engines rotate, and 1.8 million pounds of concrete eases toward the water, lifting the center span—and the bridge operator, along with the occasional stowaway—into the sky.
USS Blueback Submarine - Look upstream at the east side of the bridge at the USS Blueback submarine, along the left bank, half submerged, in front of the museum (OMSI). It was also the last non-nuclear submarine to join the Navy, is on the National Register of Historic Places and was featured in the movie ‘Hunt for Red October'. You can tour inside if you like.
Climb aboard the USS Blueback!
The bridge, is named after Dr. James Hawthorne, who headed the original Oregon State Insane Asylum at the end of what is now Hawthorne Boulevard from eighteen sixty two. Hawthorne Street originally was Insane Asylum street, or just Asylum street.
That was a crazy turn of event.
HAHAHAHA
Now, the Oregon State Insane Asylum is in Salem, built in 1883.
The film 'One flew over the Cuckoo's nest', was shot there. (also the setting of the novel by Ken Keysey).
The bridge was designed by John Waddell, inventor of the vertical lift bridge, and also designer of the Steel and Interstate bridges. This is only the third vertical lift bridge designed by Waddell (his two earlier lift bridges are out of service).
Dr. Hawthorne was known for his kindness toward his patients, and during the 21 years that he had charge of the Oregon State Hospital for the Insane, it became widely known and was regarded as one of the best institutions of its kind.
In eighteen ninety one - A private wooden toll bridge, known as the Madison Bridge, is built across the Willamette River at this spot.
Tolls are 2.5 cents per pedestrian and 5 to 15 cents for vehicles.
In 1900 - The original Madison Bridge is replaced by another timber structure, also with a swing-type movable span. This is the last bridge built using wood construction. It is weakened by a flood in 1908.
In 1910 - The Hawthorne Bridge opens on the site of the previous wooden bridge.
Cost of the new structure is just over $500,000. The structure includes concrete piers, steel truss spans, wooden roadway floor and wooden sidewalks.
It has a vertical lift span that opens high enough to clear tall-masted ships.
The impending Cascadia earthquake means it’s time to decide whether to retrofit the Burnside Bridge or replace it altogether—for about $500 million. The Hawthorne, with its twin 450-ton concrete counterweights, would be a catastrophe, but the price tag means the decision of what to do about it is for the next generation.
On the way back over the bridge, we'll look downstream at the black bridge, that looks just like this bridge.
That one is called the Steel Bridge -
That bridge is...
a double-lift drawbridge, they can raise the lower deck independently of the upper deck, allowing shorter river traffic to pass without disrupting the entire bridge; it is the ONLY double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the ENTIRE world.
It is the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after our Hawthorne Bridge.
It carries Union Pacific and Amtrak rail traffic and bicycle/pedestrian traffic on the lower deck, and cars and light rail MAX on the upper deck, making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world.
If we get the chance, we'll cross over that one as well.
NEXT IS, the Yamhill Historic District.
With many more.
Does anyone have any questions?