Morrison Bridge

{{Infobox Bridge

|name=Morrison Bridge

|image=Morrison Bridge.jpg

|carries=motor vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists

|crosses=Willamette River

|locale=Portland, Oregon, U.S.

|maint=Multnomah County

|id=02758

|design=double-leaf "Chicago style" bascule

|mainspan={{Convert|284|ft}}

|length={{Convert|760|ft}}

|width={{Convert|90|ft}}

|clearance=

|below={{Convert|69|ft}}

|open=May 24, 1958 (replaced
1887 and 1905 bridges)

{{Infobox NRHP

| embed = yes

| name = Morrison Bridge

| image =

| caption =

| nrhp_type =

| location = Portland, Oregon; Willamette River at river mile 12.8

| coordinates = {{coord|45.517895|-122.669692|region:US-OR_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin =

| area =

| added = November 14, 2012

| mpsub=Willamette River Highway Bridges of Portland, Oregon

| refnum=12000933

}}

File:Morrison Bridge from Eastbank Esplanade.jpg]]

File:Morrison Bridge Open.JPG

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.{{Cite book |last=Wood Wortman |first=Sharon |last2=Wortman |first2=Ed |title=The Portland Bridge Book |edition=3rd |publisher=Urban Adventure Press |date=2006 |pages=53–60 |isbn= 0-9787365-1-6}} It is one of the most heavily used bridges in Portland.{{Cite news |title=Portland's Morrison Bridge reopens to traffic after 10-month closure |url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/03/portlands_morrison_bridge_reop.html |access-date=August 6, 2012 |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 26, 2012}} It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/upload/weekly-list-2012-national-register-of-historic-places.pdf |title=Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 11/13/12 through 11/16/12 |date=November 23, 2012 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=September 30, 2013}}{{Cite news |last=Tims |first=Dana |title=Four Multnomah County bridges listed on National Register of Historic Places |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=November 21, 2012 |page=B1 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/11/four_multnomah_county_bridges.html |access-date=October 11, 2013}}

Predecessors

The original Morrison Bridge (or Morrison Street Bridge) was a wooden truss swing-span bridge that opened to the public on April 9, 1887{{Cite news |title=To-Day at Noon: This is the Time Set for Opening the Bridge |newspaper=The Morning Oregonian |date=April 9, 1887 |page=5 |author=}}{{Cite news |title=In And About Portland |newspaper=The Sunday Oregonian |date=April 10, 1887 |page=5 |author= |quote=A great many people passed over the Morrison-street bridge yesterday, but owing to delay in the completion of the work, caused by the weather, there was no formal opening.}} (with a formal opening three days later),{{Cite news |title=Local And General |newspaper=The Morning Oregonian |date=April 13, 1887 |page=3 |author= |quote=The Morrison street bridge was formally opened for traffic at 10 o'clock yesterday forenoon.}} as the first Willamette River bridge in Portland and the longest bridge west of the Mississippi River. It was named for the street it carried, which had been named for John L. Morrison, a Scottish immigrant who built the first home on Morrison Street. It was first a toll bridge (rates: horse-drawn rig - US$0.15, team of horses - $0.20, pedestrian - $0.05) but went toll-free in 1895. The second Morrison was another swing bridge that was built in 1905. It was not designed for automobiles and the 1958 replacement was long overdue.

The first Morrison Bridge carried horsecars starting in March 1888, about a year after the bridge opened. Electric streetcars, introduced in Portland in November 1889, replaced horsecar service on the bridge in stages starting in 1890.{{Cite book |last=Labbe |first=John T. |date=1980 |title=Fares, Please! Those Portland Trolley Years |pages=34–36, 67–68, 70–71 |location=Caldwell, Idaho (US) |publisher=The Caxton Printers |isbn=0-87004-287-4}}. Streetcars also crossed the second (1905) Morrison bridge, but not the third (1958), as the last lines of Portland's past streetcar system had been abandoned by the time it opened.{{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard |title=Portland's Streetcar Lines |date=2010 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |pages=99, 105 |isbn=978-0-7385-8126-2}}

History of present bridge

The present bridge was built by Multnomah County. It was completed on May 24, 1958, at a cost of $12.9 million. In 1961, Interstate 5 and Interstate 84 ramps were added.

File:Morrison Br roadway view, looking east from lift span in 2012.jpg

In 1987, the Morrison Bridge became the first bridge illuminated by the Willamette Light Brigade. In 2007, the original 16 colored floodlamps illuminating the concrete piers were replaced by energy-efficient and computer-controlled LEDs.{{Cite news |first=Susan |last=Green |title = Morrison Bridge will get its lights back |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 14, 2007 |page= B2}} Different colors may be selected for each of eight zones of the piers.{{Cite web

| url = http://www.lightthebridges.org/pdfs/partnerapp.pdf

| title = Morrison Bridge Pier Light Application

| publisher = Willamette Light Brigade

| access-date = August 6, 2012

}} Static and animated patterns may be requested for a fee which ranges from $100 per night to $1200 per month (as of 2009).{{Cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/07/gotta_favorite_color_you_can_s.html |title=Got a favorite color? You can shine it on the Morrison Bridge—for a fee |last=Haberman |first=Margaret |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=July 17, 2009 |access-date=August 6, 2012}}

Access for bicycles and pedestrians was improved in a $1.9 million project which began construction in March 2009 and added a barrier-separated path on the south side.{{Cite news |first=Nikole |last=Hannah-Jones |title=Morrison Bridge path construction starts today |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=March 26, 2009 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/03/morrison_bridge_path_construct.html |access-date=August 6, 2012}} Previously, there were only narrow sidewalks. In 2011–12, the steel grating on the bascule deck was replaced with fiber-reinforced polymer panels to provide better traction for vehicles. The work was completed in March 2012, but problems with the new deck panels began to be reported in fall 2013.{{Cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=Morrison Bridge deck crumbling |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 8, 2013 |page=A6 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2013/10/portlands_morrison_bridge_new.html |access-date=October 11, 2013}} Multnomah County anticipates a major seismic upgrade around 2020. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.

Description and statistics

File:Morrison Bridge - Portland OR.jpgs highlighting the bridge piers at dusk]]

The bridge is the largest mechanical device in Oregon.{{Cite news |title=Bright lights, bridge city |first=Don |last=Hamilton |newspaper=Portland Tribune |date=May 25, 2001}} {{Convert|36|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} gears drive 940-ton counterweights located inside each of the piers. The {{Convert|69|ft|m|adj=on}} clearance is sufficient for most river traffic, requiring bridge openings only about 30 times a month. The bridge currently carries 50,000 vehicles daily in six lanes. The canted windows of the control tower give the distinctive look of air traffic control towers. The current bridge does not connect to Morrison Street at its west end because the second bridge was left in operation while the latest version was built, necessitating that the replacement bridge be on a different alignment.

In 2005, the bridge opened for river traffic an average of 33 times a month.{{rp|55}}

References

External links

[http://web.multco.us/bridges/morrison-bridge Morrison Bridge] page on Multnomah County website
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060209125153/http://www.lightthebridges.org/legacy-morrison.htm Willamette Light Brigade]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20040901110050/http://home.teleport.com/~bchin/morrbr.html Panoramic image]
{{HAER |survey=OR-100 |id=or0469 |title=Morrison Bridge, Spanning Willamette River on Morrison and Alder Streets, Portland, Multnomah County, OR |photos=26 |color=1 |data=42 |cap=3}}

{{Crossings navbox

|structure = Crossings

|place = Willamette River

|bridge = Morrison Bridge

|bridge signs =

|upstream = Hawthorne Bridge

|upstream signs =

|downstream = Burnside Bridge

|downstream signs =

}}

Category:Bascule bridges in the United States

Category:Bridges completed in 1887