Madison Street Bridge (Portland, Oregon)

Last updated
The second bridge in March 1908, when flooding upriver had caused a log jam to accumulate around it. The swing span is out of frame to the left in this view. Madison Street Bridge with log jam, March 1908 - Portland, Oregon.jpg
The second bridge in March 1908, when flooding upriver had caused a log jam to accumulate around it. The swing span is out of frame to the left in this view.

The Madison Street Bridge, or Madison Bridge, refers to two different bridges that spanned the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, from 1891 to 1900 and from 1900 to 1909. The bridges connected Madison Street, on the river's west bank, and Hawthorne Avenue, on the east bank, on approximately the same alignment as the existing Hawthorne Bridge. The original and later bridges are sometimes referred to as Madison Street Bridge No. 1 and Madison Street Bridge No. 2, respectively. [1] The second bridge, built in 1900, has alternatively been referred to as the "rebuilt" [2] Madison Street Bridge (of 1891), rather than as a new bridge, because it was rebuilt on the same piers. Both were swing bridges, whereas their successor, the Hawthorne Bridge, is a vertical-lift-type.

Contents

First bridge

Madison Street Bridge (1891)
Coordinates 45°30′48″N122°40′15″W / 45.513204°N 122.670937°W / 45.513204; -122.670937 Coordinates: 45°30′48″N122°40′15″W / 45.513204°N 122.670937°W / 45.513204; -122.670937
Carries Streetcars, horse-drawn vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses Willamette River
Locale Portland, Oregon
Characteristics
Design Pratt truss [3] with swing span
MaterialWood
Total length1,470 feet (450 m) [3] (2,262 ft including approaches) [4]
Width40 feet (12 m) [3]
Longest span317 ft (97 m) (swing span) [4]
History
OpenedJanuary 11, 1891 (1891-01-11)
ClosedDecember 1899
Replaced byMadison Street Bridge (1900)
Location
Madison Street Bridge (Portland, Oregon)

Construction of the first bridge, a wooden swing-span bridge, [5] began in February 1890. [6] It was built by the Pacific Bridge Company and owned by the Madison Street Bridge Company. It opened as a toll bridge on January 11, 1891. [5] At that time, the bridge's east end was in the city of East Portland, Oregon. Subsequently, in July of the same year, East Portland merged with its larger neighbor, becoming part of the city of Portland. [7] Later in 1891, the Oregon state legislature organized eight Portland residents into a committee that purchased the bridge on November 18, 1891, for $145,000 (equivalent to $3,825,315in 2015) and eliminated the tolls. [6] The following year, the committee won approval from the United States Secretary of War for a contract to build the Burnside Bridge nearby. [6]

The bridge's two-lane roadway was 22 feet (6.7 m) wide, and there were 6.5-foot (2 m) sidewalks on both sides, [4] while the structure's overall width was 40 feet (12 m). [3]

The Madison Street Bridge disaster occurred on November 1, 1893, when a westbound streetcar drove off the open draw of the bridge, and seven people died. This event remains the worst streetcar accident to occur in Portland, as well as the worst bridge disaster in the city's history. [8] [9] [10]

In July 1899, the aging bridge was declared unsafe and in urgent need of rebuilding. [11] Work to replace the structure, on the same piers, began in December 1899, with dismantling of the trusses. [12]

Second bridge

Madison Street Bridge (1900)
Madison street bridge ca 1900.jpg
West end and swing span circa late 1900
Coordinates 45°30′48″N122°40′15″W / 45.513204°N 122.670937°W / 45.513204; -122.670937
Crosses Willamette River
Locale Portland, Oregon
Characteristics
Design Howe truss [5] with swing span
MaterialWood
Total length1,456 ft (444 m) [2]
Longest span312 ft (95 m) [5] or 316 ft (96 m) (swing span) [2]
No. of spans7 (6 fixed, 1 movable) [2]
History
OpenedApril 1900 (1900-04)
ClosedJanuary 20, 1909
Replaced by Hawthorne Bridge

In 1900, the first bridge was replaced by another wooden swing-span bridge, sometimes referred to as Madison Street Bridge No. 2. [1] It has also been described as a rebuilding of the original bridge, because the work consisted of new truss spans mounted on the same piers. [12] The rebuilt bridge opened to traffic in April 1900, but retaining the original swing-span section from 1891. [13] Because of the estimated high cost, replacement of the swing span had been postponed, [13] with predictions that it might hold on for another year or two. However, in July 1900 it was declared unsafe by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, [14] and plans to replace it with a new swing-type draw span were accelerated. The new swing span was constructed in fall 1900, [15] and it was made stronger than its predecessor by an additional tower built over the middle pier, connected to the outer ends of the span by iron or steel rods. [2]

On June 21, 1902, a fire that destroyed six blocks of east-side waterfront property also heavily damaged the bridge's eastern approach viaduct, closing the bridge to all traffic [16] for several weeks. It reopened to pedestrians on July 18, [17] to horse-drawn vehicles on August 5, [18] and subsequently to streetcars. By 1907, planning was under way for the bridge to be replaced by a new structure that would be positioned at a higher elevation over the water [19] [20] and be constructed of steel instead of wood. In June 1907, voters approved a measure to issue $450,000 in municipal bonds to fund construction of a new bridge. [5] [21]

On January 20, 1909, the bridge was closed indefinitely to all traffic, after high river levels had caused debris to accumulate around its piers, placing strain on the structure. [22] The indefinite suspension became a permanent one. Plans for a new, stronger bridge, eventually to be named the Hawthorne Bridge, were firm by this time. The Portland Railway, Light and Power Company, whose streetcars had used the bridge, and many residents of the east side, argued that the old bridge should be reopened while the new one was being built, [23] [24] but it remained closed. Construction contracts for the new Hawthorne Bridge were signed in June 1909. [25] Dismantling of the Madison Street Bridge's structure and demolition of its piers took place in August and September 1909, [26] followed by construction of the replacement bridge, on the same alignment. The Hawthorne Bridge opened on December 19, 1910. [27] [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Bridge</span> Bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic, and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after the nearby Hawthorne Bridge. The bridge links the Rose Quarter and Lloyd District in the east to Old Town Chinatown neighborhood in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorne Bridge</span> Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon

The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. It is also the busiest bicycle and transit bridge in Oregon, with over 8,000 cyclists and 800 TriMet buses daily. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Bridge (Portland, Oregon)</span> Bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Fremont Bridge is a steel tied-arch bridge over the Willamette River located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It carries Interstate 405 and US 30 traffic between downtown and North Portland where it intersects with Interstate 5. It has the longest main span of any bridge in Oregon and is the second longest tied-arch bridge in the world. The bridge was designed by Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas, and built by Murphy Pacific Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnside Bridge</span> Bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morrison Bridge</span> Bridge in Oregon, U.S.

The Morrison Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Completed in 1958, it is the third bridge at approximately the same site to carry that name. It is one of the most heavily used bridges in Portland. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquam Bridge</span> Carries Interstate 5 traffic over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon

The Marquam Bridge is a double-deck, steel-truss cantilever bridge that carries Interstate 5 traffic across the Willamette River from south of downtown Portland, Oregon, on the west side to the industrial area of inner Southeast on the east. It is the busiest bridge in Oregon, carrying 140,500 vehicles a day as of 2016. The upper deck carries northbound traffic; the lower deck carries southbound traffic. The Marquam also has on and off ramps for Interstate 405 on the south end of the bridge, while the terminus on the east bank of the river is near the interchange with Interstate 84.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)</span> Bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Broadway Bridge is a Rall-type bascule bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1913. It was Portland's first bascule bridge, and it continues to hold the distinction of being the longest span of its bascule design type in the world. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate Bridge</span> Highway bridge crossing the Columbia River between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington

The Interstate Bridge is a pair of nearly identical steel vertical-lift, Parker through-truss bridges that carry Interstate 5 traffic over the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sellwood Bridge</span> Bridge in Portland, OR

The Sellwood Bridge is a deck arch bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The current bridge opened in 2016 and replaced a 1925 span that had carried the same name. The original bridge was Portland's first fixed-span bridge and, being the only river crossing for miles in each direction, the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon. The Sellwood Bridge links the Sellwood and Westmoreland neighborhoods of Portland on the east side with Oregon Route 43/Macadam Avenue on the west side. At its east end it leads to Tacoma Street. The bridge is owned and operated by Multnomah County. The original span of 1925 was a steel truss bridge, while its 2016 replacement is a deck-arch-type bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1</span> Railroad bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1 or BNSF Railway Bridge 5.1, also known as the St. Johns Railroad Bridge or the Willamette River Railroad Bridge, is a through truss railway bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. Built by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) and completed in 1908, it was originally a swing-span bridge, and its swing-span section was the longest in the world at the time. However, 81 years later the main span was converted from a swing-type to a vertical-lift type, in order to widen the navigation channel. The lift span is one of the highest and longest in the world. The bridge consists of five sections, with the two sections closest to the bank on each side fixed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Portland, Oregon</span> Overview of movement of goods and passengers in Portland

Like transportation in the rest of the United States, the primary mode of local transportation in Portland, Oregon is the automobile. Metro, the metropolitan area's regional government, has a regional master plan in which transit-oriented development plays a major role. This approach, part of the new urbanism, promotes mixed-use and high-density development around light rail stops and transit centers, and the investment of the metropolitan area's share of federal tax dollars into multiple modes of transportation. In the United States, this focus is atypical in an era when automobile use led many areas to neglect their core cities in favor of development along interstate highways, in suburbs, and satellite cities.

Portland is "an international pioneer in transit orientated developments."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6</span> Railroad bridge crossing the Columbia River between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington

Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 or BNSF Railway Bridge 9.6, also known as the Columbia River Railroad Bridge, is through truss railway bridge across the Columbia River, between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, owned and operated by BNSF Railway. Built by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) and completed in 1908, it was the first bridge of any kind to be built across the lower Columbia River, preceding the first road bridge, the nearby Interstate Bridge, by a little more than eight years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilikum Crossing</span> Bridge over the Willamette River, Portland, OR, USA

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People is a cable-stayed bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was designed by TriMet, the Portland metropolitan area's regional transit authority, for its MAX Orange Line light rail passenger trains. The bridge also serves city buses and the Portland Streetcar, as well as bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. Private cars and trucks are not permitted on the bridge. It is the first major bridge in the U.S. that was designed to allow access to transit vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians but not cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge</span> Railroad bridge in Portland, Oregon

The Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge, also known as the BNSF Railway Bridge 8.8, is a swing-span, through truss bridge in Portland, Oregon, United States. Currently owned and operated by BNSF Railway, it crosses an anabranch of the Columbia River known as North Portland Harbor and historically as the Oregon Slough. The bridge's northern end is on Hayden Island, which, along with Tomahawk Island, forms the north shore of the channel. Completed in 1908, the two-track bridge is one of only two swing bridges surviving in Portland, which once had several bridges of that type, both for road and rail traffic. The only other remaining swing bridge in the Portland area is another rail-only bridge on the same line, BNSF's nearby Bridge 9.6, spanning the Columbia River.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Portland, Oregon, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Street Bridge disaster</span>

The Madison Street bridge disaster occurred on November 1, 1893, in Portland, Oregon, United States, when a westbound streetcar drove off the open draw of the first Madison Street Bridge. Seven people died. This remains the worst streetcar accident ever to occur in the city of Portland and also the worst bridge disaster in Portland history.

<i>Elwood</i> (sternwheeler)

Elwood was a sternwheel steamboat which was built to operate on the Willamette River, in Oregon, but which later operated on the Lewis River in Washington, the Stikine River in Canada, and on Puget Sound. The name of this vessel is sometimes seen spelled "Ellwood". Elwood is probably best known for an incident in 1893, when it was approaching the Madison Street Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The bridge swung open to allow the steamer to pass. However, a streetcar coming in from the east end of the bridge failed to notice the bridge was open, and ran off into the river in the Madison Street Bridge disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A and B Loop</span> Streetcar circle route in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The A and B Loop is a streetcar circle route of the Portland Streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, United States. Operated by Portland Streetcar, Inc. and TriMet, it consists of two services within the Central City that travel a loop between the east and west sides of the Willamette River by crossing the Broadway Bridge in the north and Tilikum Crossing in the south: the 6.1-mile (9.8 km) A Loop, which runs clockwise, and the 6.6-mile (10.6 km) B Loop, which runs counterclockwise. The services connect Portland's downtown, Pearl District, Lloyd District, Central Eastside, and South Waterfront, and serve various landmarks and institutions, including the Rose Quarter, the Oregon Convention Center, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), and Portland State University (PSU). Riders can transfer to the regional MAX Light Rail system at several points along the route.

<i>Orient</i> (sternwheeler)

Orient was a light-draft sternwheel-driven steamboat built in 1875 for the Willamette River Transportation Company, a concern owned by pioneer businessman Ben Holladay. Shortly after its completion, it was acquired by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company. Orient was a near-twin vessel of a steamer built at the same time, the Occident.

References

  1. 1 2 Wood Wortman (2006), pp. 6, 13, 62.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bottenberg (2007), pp. 29–30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 MacColl, E. Kimbark (1976). "Chapter 7 – A Community of Many Interests, 1891–1895". The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1885 to 1915. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press Company. pp. 153–154. ISBN   0-89174-043-0.
  4. 1 2 3 "By Bridge and Ferry: Means of Crossing the Willamette at Portland". The Morning Oregonian. January 1, 1895. p. 20.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hawthorne Bridge: Spanning Willamette River on Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. 1992. p. 2. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Introduction in Bottenberg (2007), p. 7.
  7. ↑ "Three Cities in One: Portland, Oregon, takes a long stride to the front" (PDF). The New York Times . June 14, 1891. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  8. ↑ Labbe (1980), pp. 101–102.
  9. ↑ Thompson (2006), p. 39.
  10. ↑ Wood Wortman (2006), p. 6.
  11. ↑ "Madison Bridge Unsafe; Grand Jury Says a New Structure Is Needed". The Morning Oregonian . July 6, 1899. p. 6.
  12. 1 2 "Again in Commission; [Street] Cars Resume Travel on Madison Street Bridge; Work on the Repairs Will Be Pushed Vigorously Till They Are Completed". The Morning Oregonian. December 10, 1899. p. 10.
  13. 1 2 "Travel Heavier Than Ever; Madison Street Bridge Relieving Morrison of Congestion". The Morning Oregonian. April 21, 1900. p. 12. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Must Have a New Draw [span]; Madison Street Bridge Swing Pronounced Unsafe". The Morning Oregonian. July 14, 1900. p. 7. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  15. ↑ "May Be Opened Today; Madison Street Bridge Draw Complete Except [for] the Asphalt Work". The Morning Oregonian. November 15, 1900. p. 12. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Big Loss By Fire: Flames Visit Heavy Disaster on City; Six Blocks Consumed at East End of Madison Bridge". The Sunday Oregonian . June 22, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Bridge Open to Travel; Pedestrians Cross Unfinished Madison-Street Structure". The Morning Oregonian. July 19, 1902. p. 8. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Madison Bridge Open to Teams". The Morning Oregonian. August 5, 1902. p. 8. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Report Favors Higher Bridge; Board of Trade Committee's Plans for New Madison-Street Structure". The Morning Oregonian. March 22, 1907. p. 10. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Plans for High Bridge at Madison Street". The Sunday Oregonian. April 21, 1907. Magazine section, p. 5. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  21. ↑ MacColl (1976), p. 345.
  22. ↑ "Traffic Stops on Madison Bridge; Even Persons Afoot Are Not Permitted to Cross Shaky Structure". The Morning Oregonian. January 21, 1909. p. 14. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Will Pay Repairs; P.R.L. & P. Co. Wants Madison Bridge Opened". The Morning Oregonian. February 9, 1909. p. 16. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Petition to Open Madison Bridge". The Morning Oregonian. March 3, 1909. p. 10. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Bridge Ready in Less Than Year; Contractors to Waste Little Time in Starting Work on Madison Viaduct". The Morning Oregonian. June 28, 1909. p. 10. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Old Span Wrecked; Madison Bridge in Six Weeks Will Be Only Memory". The Morning Oregonian. August 2, 1909. p. 14. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  27. ↑ Wood Wortman (2006), p. 61.
  28. ↑ "Bridge Declared Open for Traffic". The Morning Oregonian. December 20, 1910. p. 16. Retrieved July 31, 2017.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.