Editing Morrison Bridge

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox Bridge
|name=Morrison Bridge
|image=Morrison Bridge.jpg
|carries=motor vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists
|crosses=[[Willamette River]]
|locale=[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], U.S.
|maint=[[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]]
|id=02758
|design=double-leaf "Chicago style" [[bascule bridge|bascule]]
|mainspan={{Convert|284|ft}}
|length={{Convert|760|ft}}
|width={{Convert|90|ft}}
|clearance=
|below={{Convert|69|ft}}
|open=May 24, 1958 (replaced<br>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 = <!--Oregon-->
  | area =
  | added = November 14, 2012<ref name=nrhp-weekly/>
  | mpsub=Willamette River Highway Bridges of Portland, Oregon
  | refnum=12000933<ref name=nrhp-weekly/>
}}
}}
[[File:Morrison Bridge from Eastbank Esplanade.jpg|thumb|right|Viewed from the [[Eastbank Esplanade]]]]
[[File:Morrison Bridge Open.JPG|thumb|The opened Morrison Bridge, photographed from East Portland]]
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.<ref name=wood-wortman>{{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}}</ref> It is one of the most heavily used bridges in Portland.<ref name=reopen-2012>{{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}}</ref> It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in November 2012.<ref name=nrhp-weekly>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20121123.htm |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}}</ref><ref name="oreg-2012nov">{{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<!--(online date November 20, 2012)--> |page=B1 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/11/four_multnomah_county_bridges.html |access-date=October 11, 2013}}</ref>

==Predecessors==
The original Morrison Bridge (or Morrison Street Bridge) was a wooden truss [[swing bridge|swing-span bridge]] that opened to the public on April 9, 1887<ref>{{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=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=In And About Portland |newspaper=The Sunday Oregonian |date=April 10, 1887 |page=5 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |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.}}</ref> (with a formal opening three days later),<ref>{{Cite news |title=Local And General |newspaper=The Morning Oregonian |date=April 13, 1887 |page=3 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |quote=The Morrison street bridge was formally opened for traffic at 10 o'clock yesterday forenoon.}}</ref> 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 (pioneer)|John L. Morrison]], a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[immigrant]] who built the first home on Morrison Street.<ref name=wood-wortman/> It was first a [[toll bridge]] (rates: horse-drawn rig - [[US dollar|US$]]0.15, team of horses - $0.20, pedestrian - $0.05) but went toll-free in 1895.<ref name=wood-wortman/> 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 [[horsecar]]s starting in March 1888, about a year after the bridge opened. Electric [[Tram|streetcars]], introduced in Portland in November 1889, replaced horsecar service on the bridge in stages starting in 1890.<ref name="labbe">{{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=[[Caxton Press (United States)|The Caxton Printers]] |isbn=0-87004-287-4}}.</ref> 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.<ref name=wood-wortman/><ref name="thompson2010">{{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}}</ref>

==History of present bridge==
The present bridge was built by [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]]. It was completed on May 24, 1958, at a cost of $12.9 million.<ref name=wood-wortman/> In 1961, [[Interstate 5 in Oregon|Interstate 5]] and [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|Interstate 84]] ramps were added.

[[File:Morrison Br roadway view, looking east from lift span in 2012.jpg|thumb|right|The bridge's deck after the 2011–12 renovations that removed the steel grating. Also visible are signs indicating the freeway connections.]]
In 1987, the Morrison Bridge became the first bridge illuminated by the Willamette Light Brigade.<ref name=wood-wortman/> In 2007, the original 16 colored floodlamps illuminating the concrete piers were replaced by energy-efficient and computer-controlled [[Light-emitting diode|LED]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Susan |last=Green |title = Morrison Bridge will get its lights back |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=February 14, 2007 |page= B2}}</ref> Different colors may be selected for each of eight zones of the piers.<ref>{{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
}}</ref> Static and animated patterns may be requested for a fee which ranges from $100 per night to $1200 per month (as of 2009).<ref>{{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}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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,<ref name=reopen-2012/> but problems with the new deck panels began to be reported in fall 2013.<ref name=oreg-2013oct>{{Cite news |last=Rose |first=Joseph |title=Morrison Bridge deck crumbling |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=October 8, 2013<!--(online date October 7)--> |page=A6 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2013/10/portlands_morrison_bridge_new.html |access-date=October 11, 2013}}</ref> Multnomah County anticipates a major seismic upgrade around 2020. The bridge was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in November 2012.<ref name="oreg-2012nov"/>

==Description and statistics==
[[File:Morrison Bridge - Portland OR.jpg|thumb|right|Colored [[Light-emitting diode|LED]]s highlighting the bridge piers at dusk]]
The bridge is the largest mechanical device in [[Oregon]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bright lights, bridge city |first=Don |last=Hamilton |newspaper=[[Portland Tribune]] |date=May 25, 2001}}</ref> {{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.<ref name=wood-wortman/>

In 2005, the bridge opened for river traffic an average of 33 times a month.<ref name=wood-wortman/>{{rp|55}}

==See also==
*[[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]
*[[List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon]]
*[[List of crossings of the Willamette River]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[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}}

{{Bridges of Portland, Oregon}}
{{Buckman, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure       = Crossings
|place           = [[Willamette River]]
|bridge          = Morrison Bridge
|bridge signs    = 
|upstream        = [[Hawthorne Bridge]]
|upstream signs  = 
|downstream      = [[Burnside Bridge]]
|downstream signs = 
}}
{{Tom McCall Waterfront Park}}

[[Category:Bascule bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1887]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1905]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1958]]
[[Category:Bridges in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Willamette River]]
[[Category:Swing bridges in Oregon]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon]]
[[Category:1887 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Buckman, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Drawbridges on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Southwest Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Former toll bridges in Oregon]]
[[Category:Tom McCall Waterfront Park]]
[[Category:Metal bridges in the United States]]