Steel Bridge

The Steel Bridge is a gray, double-decked metal structure spanning the Willamette River. It stands out for its vertical-lift design, which allows the central span to rise to accommodate river traffic. Engineers John Waddell and Ira Harrington completed the bridge in nineteen twelve to replace an earlier eighteen eighty-eight span. The original bridge was the first on the West Coast to use steel as its primary structural material, and the name persisted even after the current version was built.