Portland
the Portland is part of Portland, Oregon, United States.Interesting places in Portland:
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Hawthorne Bridge at Night
Made by bridgepix
Bridgepixing the Hawthorne Bridge at Night after watching a cloudy sunset over downtown Portland. Additional Bridge Photos and a Bridge Blog at www.Bridgepix.com. 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 4,800 cyclists and 750 TriMet buses daily. The bridge consists of five fixed spans and one 244 ft. (75 m) long vertical lift span. It is 1,382 feet (421 meters) in total length. The 880,000 pound (400,000 kg) counterweights are suspended from the two 165 ft. (50 m) tall towers. While the river is at low level the bridge is 49 feet (15 meters) above the water, causing it to be raised an average of 200 times per month. As of 2001 the average daily traffic is 30,500 vehicles. The bridge was designed by John Waddell, inventor of the vertical lift bridge and also designer of the Steel and Interstate bridges. The current bridge was built to replace Madison Bridge No. 1 (1891) and Madison Bridge No. 2 (1900), which was destroyed by a fire in 1902. It cost $511,000 to build and was opened on December 19, 1910. The deck was changed from wood to steel grating in 1945. In 1985 the lift span sheaves, the grooved wheels that guide the counterweight cables, were replaced. The bridge went through a $21 million restoration from 1998-99, which included replacing the steel grated deck and repainting. The original lead-based paint was completely removed and replaced with 3 layers of new paint that is estimated to last 30 years. During this upgrade the sidewalks were widened to 10 feet (3 meters), making it a thoroughfare for bicycle commuters. Due to the replacement of the steel deck during this project, the channels which used to carry the rails for streetcars and interurban trains were also removed. In 2001 the sidewalks were connected to the Eastbank Esplanade. The estimated cost to replace the bridge is $189.3 million. Hawthorne Boulevard (and thus the bridge) was named after Dr. J.C. Hawthorne, the cofounder of Oregon's first mental hospital and early proponent for the first Morrison Bridge. The 2003 film The Hunted had a scene set on MAX on the Hawthorne Bridge. Since MAX does not cross the bridge, the movie company connected articulated buses dressed as a MAX train, complete with fake overhead lines and a sprinkler system to simulate rain. Light-rail (interurban) service did cross the Hawthorne Bridge up until 1956. Reinforcements put in place during the 1999 restoration make it possible that light rail could appear sometime in the future as well. (Wikipedia)
Burnside Bridge, Portland, Oregon
Made by bridgepix
The Burnside Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The original Burnside Bridge was a swing span bridge that opened in 1894. The replacement was part of a $4.5 million bond that also included the construction of the Ross Island and Sellwood bridges. The public would later learn that the contract was given for $500,000 more than the lowest bid. Three Multnomah County commissioners were recalled as a result of the scandal, and a new engineering company assumed control of the project. The bridge opened on May 28, 1926 at a final cost of $4.5 million (including approaches). It is the only Willamette River bridge in Portland that was designed with input from an architect. This led to the Italian Renaissance towers and decorative metal railings. The bascule system was designed by Joseph Strauss and the principal engineer for the bridge construction was Gustav Lindenthal. Electric streetcar tracks were removed in the 1940s. In 1995 one of the six lanes was removed to accommodate new bicycle lanes. From March until November of 2002 the bridge went through a $2.1 million seismic retrofit, making it the first bridge operated by Multnomah County to receive earthquake protection. The bridge was recently under construction in order to replace the deck. The electric streetcar tracks, removed in the 1940s, were visible during the construction. This project was budgeted at $9 million and the majority of the work was completed on December 9, 2007. Including approaches, the Burnside has a total length of 2,308 ft (703 m) and a 251 ft (76.5 m) center span. While lowered this span is normally 64 ft (20 m) above the river. The deck is made of concrete, which factors in it being one of the heaviest bascule bridges in the United States. The counterweights, housed inside the two piers, weigh 1,700 tons. The lifting is normally controlled by the Hawthorne Bridge operator, but an operator mans the west tower during high river levels. In 1891, Burnside Street was changed from B street to take the name of Dan Burnside, a local businessman who was a proponent of the 1866 dredging of the Willamette River. In the 1990s the Burnside Bridge was made a Regional Emergency Transportation Route, the one non-freeway bridge to be used by emergency vehicles. The bridge provides shelter for the initially unauthorized Burnside Skatepark under the east end, and the Portland Saturday Market is held most weekends under the west end. (Wikipedia) Additional Bridge Photos and a Bridge Blog at www.Bridgepix.com.
everyone here has (or should have) a favorite bridge
Made by manyfires
(Info for The Bridges of Multnomah County group: Fremont Bridge Camera: Nikon Coolpix 5700 Lens: Digital Aperture: Not Available Exposure: Not Available ISO: 100 Date and Time: 8/13/06, midmorning) ...and this one is mine. I love cruising over the top of the Fremont bridge, going from east to west, especially at night - the view of the big city lit up at night is just, well, beautiful. (Image taken during Bridge Pedal.)
pinhole, Hawthorne bridge
Made by thespeak
My brand spankin' new Zero Image pinhole camera. Hey, you know the old saying, When in Rome, er, Portland...
Downtown Portland Holga
Made by gonebiking
Nearest places of interest:
| Qwest switching center Art Institute of Portland Smartpark Harbor Light | Portland Union Station NW Natural Gas HDQTRS North Park Blocks 511 Federal Building |
