HISTORIC HIGHWAY BRIDGES OF OREGON

North Fessenden Street Overcrossing (1909), Portland, Multnomah County

One does not need to be an engineer to appreciate the idea of a bridge, or its beauty; there is no more overt, powerful, or rational expression of accomplishment—of man's ability to build. Bridges are among the finest examples of American structural art—powerful objects of pure utility and science—a realm in which Americans have excelled.

David Plowden, Bridges: The Spans of North America

Bridges are among the most ancient and honorable members of society, with a background rich in tradition and culture. For countless generations they have borne the burdens of the world, and many of them have been great works of art.

Charles S. Whitney, Bridges: Their Art, Science, and Evolution

In recent years there has been increased interest in old bridges as historic resources worthy of recognition and preservation. While covered bridges have enjoyed attention for many years, the new interest in old bridges encompasses all types of structures important in the history and heritage of bridge engineering. Early metal trusses, arches, moveable spans, suspension bridges, and slab, beam, and girder structures are now sharing the awareness and appreciation of the public.

Old bridges are important parts of our cultural heritage. As historic legacies they are as important as the early pioneer cabin, the Victorian courthouse, and the string of "commercial palace" buildings on Main Street.

Among the highway travelers' most vivid memories are those formed by bridges. Bridges create a sense of passage, open up wide vistas, and frame views. The appearance of an old bridge can suggest a sense of time and place and a different life style. Bridges may also appear as monumental landmarks, the identifying image of a city or town, or as simple, understated and elegant testimonials to good design and engineering. These designs of the past often reveal an exceptional sensitivity to scale and to their surroundings (Figure 1). Today, they are also rich in educational and symbolic meaning.

FIGURE 1. The Shepperd's Dell Bridge was constructed on the scenic Columbia River Highway in 1914 and was designed by the newly-created State Highway Department (1913). The structures on the Columbia River Highway established a tradition for excellence in design and compatibility with the environment.

Oregon contains about 1,200 highway bridges in city, county, and state ownerships which were built before World War II. These early bridges are of various types and materials, ranging from simple timber spans across small streams to multi-span steel and concrete structures over major rivers and estuaries. These bridges were built in the early days of the automobile era, when vehicles were light and not very numerous. Today, many of these bridges must carry loads far in excess of their original design specifications, including heavy trucks, large numbers of automobiles, and farming equipment. Some bridges cannot meet these demands and are considered unsafe or obsolete.

While recent national and state emphasis has been on safety and the general improvement and replacement of bridges on our highways, historians and other members of the public are increasingly concerned that historically significant bridges are rapidly being lost. The issue, safety versus preservation, creates difficult bridge planning problems. This historic highway bridges study was initiated to assist in the resolution of this conflict.

This document presents the results of the historic highway bridges study conducted by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The study document contains four major sections—historic perspective, inventory and evaluation, historic highway bridges, and conclusion. The historic perspective section provides the context for identifying important bridges and includes a discussion of the general development of bridge technology and the bridge-building tradition in Oregon. The inventory and evaluation section focuses on the study need, purpose, and methodology, including the evaluation procedure for identifying the historically significant bridges. The historic highway bridges section illustrates the 145 bridges in Oregon which are currently eligible for or listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridges are presented in four groups, based on the actions which resulted in the bridges being declared historic: study identified bridges, old Columbia River Highway bridges, covered bridges, and other historic bridges.

A bibliography and a glossary follow the basic report. Several appendices contain information on bridge designers and contractors, the locations and types of the bridges, photography and descriptions of other bridges of historic interest, a list of all bridges inventoried for the study, and other information. At the end of the document is an index and photography credits.