Steel Bridge — Attraction in Portland

The Steel Bridge has an extensive history in Portland. It is owned by the railroad and maintained by the railroad. It's a double-decker Bridge with rail on the bottom along with bike and foot traffic paths and the upper deck is for automobiles and is the main line for the light-rail heading downtown.

Long before Interstate 5 was opened up front Avenue in Portland was the main artery Road for traffic going north and south and Front Avenue pathway extended up and over the Steel Bridge turning into Interstate Avenue and you followed Interstate Avenue all the way up past Paul Bunyan and it would take you to the Columbia River Crossing at Jantzen Beach.

The Steel Bridge is one of my favorite bridges in Portland for many reasons but the most important is when I came with my family from Japan in 1959 my dad drove his old Buick and I remember crossing the big black scary Bridge that to a five-year-old looked like a scary monster. Little did I know that when I went to work for the USDA I did photographic work for the Louis Dreyfus elevator next to the bridge and I got permission to go to the very top of one of the high points and take photographs from atop The Steel Bridge and let me tell you the view from there is one in a million.

Portland is a very unique town with the 13 Bridges crossing the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The city of Portland and everything about it makes...

The Steel Bridge is my favorite bridge anywhere! Built in 1912 to replace a double deck swing bridge from 1888, Steel Bridge is the WORLD'S ONLY double deck independant vertical lift bridge! The bottom deck used by trains and the Eastbank Esplanade, can lift to let small boats pass without interrupting auto and light rail traffic on the upper deck. Larger ships require both decks to lift for them to pass although this happens only a few times a year such as during the Rose Festival's Fleet Week. The bridge is actually owned and operated by Union Pacific Railroad which is kind of unusual for the area. Neighboring spans are owned either by the state or Multnomah County. In a city known for its bridges, Portland should count itself very fortunate to have a truly unique and fascinating span. From cars to trains to bicyclists to pedestrians to MAX light rail, Steel Bridge might not be the prettiest but, it's the ultimate workhorse and gets...

Historic landmark aside, this was the most terrifying bridge to walk across at night after dark. There is a nice wide pedestrian walkway where one can choose to walk opposite of traffic however last night several of the lights were out and walking across it was the creepiest, most unsafe feeling. Not to mention, it's one of the lowest Bridges in town. If you have any fear of large bodies of water, I recommend you cross a different Bridge.

As mentioned in some of the other comments, homelessness is an issue sort of in the area before the bridge, however at around 8:00 p.m. last night, it was a Tuesday night, the bridge was completely void of people. Probably because some of the bridge lights were out. I think it might be one of the shorter Bridge crossings that one can take from the south to the north side, however.

If you choose to check out this bridge, I recommend you do it during the day, or with a partner, or at least...