The Ross Island Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. It carries U.S. Route 26 (Mount Hood Highway) across the river between southwest and southeast Portland. Although it looks like a deck arch bridge, it is the only cantilever deck truss bridge in Oregon.
The bridge is named for its location close to Ross Island, an island in the Willamette River which measures about one-and-a-half by one miles. The bridge is about 800 feet (250 m) north of the island and does not connect with, nor does it provide access to Ross Island.
The bridge was part of the unprecedented period of bridge building in Portland during the 1920s. It was opened on December 21, 1926 at a cost of $1.9 million. The bridge was designed by famed engineer Gustav Lindenthal.
There is a pedestrian walkway on the north side of the bridge, with no barrier between the sidewalk and the westbound right lane.
During the Great Depression, the bank of the Willamette near the Ross Island Bridge became the site of a Hooverville.
In 1976 ownership was transferred from Multnomah County to the Oregon Department of Transportation. In 2000-2001 the bridge underwent a $12.5 million renovation in which the deck was replaced, the railings were replaced and upgraded, and the drainage system and lighting were improved. During this renovation, lead paint was discovered, causing some delays and cost overruns.
Famous quotes containing the words ross, island and/or bridge:
“If we did not have such a thing as an airplane today, we would probably create something the size of N.A.S.A. to make one.”
—H. Ross Perot (b. 1930)
“Your kind doesn’t just kill men. You murder their spirits, you strangle their last breath of hope and freedom, so that you, the chosen few, can rule your slaves in ease and luxury. You’re a sadist just like the others, Heiser, with no resource but violence and no feeling but fear, the kind you’re feeling now. You’re drowning, Heiser, drowning in the ocean of blood around this barren little island you call the New Order.”
—Curtis Siodmak (1902–1988)
“Oh, who will now be able to relate how Pantagruel behaved in face of these three hundred giants! Oh my muse, my Calliope, my Thalie, inspire me now, restore my spirits, because here is the ass’s bridge of logic, here is the pitfall, here is the difficulty of being able to describe the horrible battle undertaken.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)