History
The bridge was built to replace an 1888 pedestrian suspension bridge; workers used the old bridge to begin construction of the present bridge's box steel ribs. Construction was made difficult by the great depth of the river at the bridge site and by the water traffic during construction. Construction workers used the cables of the old bridge to support the arch prior to completion by running cables from the arch, over the cables to an anchor on the far side. Once the new arch was completed, the old suspension bridge was dismantled. The present bridge was opened for public use on 28 December 1922; the cost of construction was published as $300,000.
The piers were designed to accommodate public restrooms: decks widen at the piers to provide room for the stairways that descend to the restrooms. Repeated vandalism led to the closure of the restrooms in 1937. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places (as the Willamette River (Oregon City) Bridge (No. 357)) on 1 July 2005.
In January 2010 the ODOT took the Oregon City Bridge out of service for a two-year rehabilitation process. The $15 million dollar restoration project was completed in 2012, with the bridge reopening on October 15, 2012.
Read more about this topic: Oregon City Bridge
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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