Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)

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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.

Description

The bridge was anticipated to be the world's longest bascule bridge and there was competition between the Strauss, Scherzer, and Rall bascule design patent holders. The "Rall" was selected based on cost.

Ralph Modjeski designed the structure, which opened on April 22, 1913, at a cost of $1.6 million. It was the world's longest double-leaf bascule bridge, of any bascule type, at the time. The bridge's name derives from the street it carries, Broadway, but at the time of the bridge's construction that street name was in use only east of the river. The westside portion of what is now Broadway had been named 7th Avenue, but was renamed Broadway when the bridge opened and connected the two streets.

The bridge has four vehicle lanes (two lanes in each direction) that in 2006 carried about 30,000 vehicles per day. It is also a major bicycle route over the river with more than 2,000 crossings daily in 2005, and has a pair of 11-foot (3.4 m) wide sidewalks. On average, the bridge's draw span is opened about 25 times a month.

History

Because it is such a complicated bridge there have been frequent repairs to its structure and mechanicals. From 1927 to 1928, a 2,000-foot (610 m)-long viaduct was built from the bridge's west deck, extending due west above Lovejoy Street to 14th Avenue, providing access to and from the bridge that had previously been blocked by railroad yards. This viaduct was known as the Lovejoy Ramp. A shorter ramp rising from Northwest 10th Avenue at Irving Street and connecting to the easternmost portion of the new Lovejoy viaduct was built in 1927, but not opened, due to delays to the start of work on the Lovejoy viaduct's western section (west of 10th), and did not open until October 1928. Construction of the long viaduct section from 10th to 14th began in mid-1928, and the viaduct opened in December 1928.

Streetcars originally crossed the bridge from its opening in 1913 until 1940, and by at least 1944, the abandoned tracks had been removed or paved over.

In 1948, the concrete deck was replaced with steel grating.

The Broadway Bridge was also used by trolley buses from 1937 to 1958.

The bridge was originally black, in common with the nearby Steel and Hawthorne spans, but Portland architect Lewis Crutcher suggested in 1961 that each have its own distinct color. The Broadway Bridge was repainted "Golden Gate" red (also known as international orange) in 1963.

During 1982, bicycle access was improved through an $18,000 signal and sidewalk upgrade.

In 1985, a renovation to the bridge was completed.

The railroad yards near the bridges viaducts were abandoned by the 1990s.

The Lovejoy Ramp, the long viaduct to and from 14th Avenue, was demolished in 1999 as part of a $12.4 million reconstruction, intended to open up the site of the railroad yards for redevelopment.

In order to improve access and reduce energy costs, the sidewalks and lighting were replaced from 2000 to 2001.

The reconstructed Lovejoy ramp was opened in May 2002.

A $28 million renovation began in February 2003. Included in this was the replacement of steel grating with a fiber-reinforced polymer composite material called DuraSpan, made by Martin Marietta Materials. The renovation was completed in February 2005.

In July 2010, the bridge was closed to all traffic for two months in order to begin re-installing streetcar infrastructure, for an expansion of the Portland Streetcar system. Progress was sufficient to reopen two of four lanes of the bridge on September 4. Streetcar-related construction continued through 2011, including installation of the overhead power equipment. The new streetcar line opened in September 2012 and was known as the CL Line (Central Loop); The two-route system serves some 20,000 daily riders.

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

The bridge was closed for repairs on November 24, 2013,it opened shortly after.

On April 12, 2014, a single lane of the bridge was closed for a running event.

On August 18, 2014, the inner lanes of the bridge were closed in order to fix a streetcar motor.

In June 2015, the bridge was repainted for the first time since the 1963.

In September 2015 the CL Line was renamed as the Loop Service, with the A Loop traveling clockwise, and the B Loop traveling counterclockwise.

In 2016, a road repavement project resulted in the closure of the northbound lanes on the bridge.

In June 2017, plans for a new Apartment complex where the old viaduct was placed was approved.

From May to October 2017, the outer lanes of the bridge were closed so that the bridge could undergo repairs. This was dine so that the rail wheel on the draw span was replaced. Work was completed in 2018.

On the weekend of July 13th 2019, the bridge was closed to motor vehicles for an inspection.

The draw control system was upgraded in 2021.

A project to replace the draw spans deck and a alteration of its brake speed is planned to be started in 2025.

In popular culture

• The Bridge is prominently featured in the climax of the film Untraceable (2008). In the film, FBI agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) becomes stranded on the east end of the bridge after an online serial killer hacks into her car's computer. The scene was filmed both on location as well as on a studio sound stage.
• The bridge is also a setting for the 1996 film Foxfire, its most notable appearance being in the final scene when Legs Sadovsky (Angelina Jolie) and Maddy Wirtz (Hedy Burress) decide to part ways.