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Fremont Bridge (Portland, Oregon)

2025-06-19T14:28:43Z

2601:196:180:DC0:1943:61A5:96EC:2C4D: /* Design and construction */ Bridge replaced. Link to history on original bridge.

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox Bridge
|name=Fremont Bridge
|image=FremontBridgePano.jpg
|image_upright=1.2
|caption=
|official_name=Fremont Bridge
|carries=Four lanes, two decks<br />{{Jct|state=OR|I|405|US|30}}
|crosses=[[Willamette River]] and surface streets
|locale=[[Portland, Oregon]]
|maint=[[Oregon Department of Transportation]]
|id=02529
|design=[[Tied-arch bridge]]
|mainspan={{Convert|1255|ft}}<br />longest in Oregon
|length={{Convert|2154|ft}}
|width=
|height={{Convert|381|ft}}
|load=
|clearance={{Convert|18.3|ft}}
|below={{Convert|175|ft}}
|traffic=
|begin=
|complete=
|open=November 15, 1973<ref name=opens/>
|closed=
|toll=
|coordinates = {{coord|45.5377083|-122.6825027|display=inline,title}}
}}

The '''Fremont Bridge''' is a steel [[tied-arch bridge]]{{cn|reason=An authoritative citation from a reputable engineering source is required here - regardless that subsidiary claims are subsequently made by a source of unknown engineering provenance|date=June 2025}} over the [[Willamette River]] located in [[Portland, Oregon]], United States. It carries [[Interstate 405 (Oregon)|Interstate 405]] and [[U.S. Route 30 (Oregon)|US 30]] traffic between downtown and North Portland where it intersects with [[Interstate 5 in Oregon|Interstate 5]]. It has the longest main span of any bridge in [[Oregon]] and is the second longest tied-arch bridge in the world (after [[Caiyuanba Bridge]] across the [[Yangtze River]], [[China]]).<ref name = "Wood-Wortman">{{Cite book |last=Wood |first=Sharon |last2=Wortman |first2=Ed |title=The Portland Bridge Book |edition=3rd |publisher=Urban Adventure Press |date=2006 |pages=23–30 |isbn= 0-9787365-1-6}}</ref> The bridge was designed by [[Parsons Brinckerhoff|Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas]], and built by Murphy Pacific Corporation.<ref name="Bottenberg">{{Cite book |last=Bottenberg |first=Ray |title=Bridges of Portland |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |date=2007 |pages=105–116 |url={{Google books |laTfY36RfY0C |pg=PA105 |plainurl=yes}} |isbn =9780738548760}}</ref> In 2006, Sharon Wood Wortman published the third and latest version of The Portland Bridge Book. This book provides even more detail about the Fremont Bridge than covered here.<ref name="Wood-Wortman" />

The bridge has two decks carrying vehicular traffic, each with four lanes. The upper deck is signed westbound on US 30 and southbound on I-405. The lower deck is signed eastbound on US 30 and northbound on I-405.

[[File:MSH-10B Mount St. Helens Erupts, Portland View, May 18, 1980 (22636191326).jpg|thumb|left|263px|[[Mount St. Helens]] erupting on [[1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens|May 18, 1980]], with the Fremont Bridge on the left.]]

==Design and construction==
Due to the public's dissatisfaction with the appearance of the [[Marquam Bridge]] opened in 1966, the Portland Art Commission was invited to participate in the design process of the Fremont. The improvement in visual quality resulted in a bridge that was nearly six times as expensive as the purposely economical Marquam Bridge. Designers modeled the bridge after the original 1964 [[Port Mann Bridge#History|Port Mann Bridge]] in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]].

The steel tie-girder ([[I-beam]]) is {{convert|18|ft}} tall and {{convert|50|in|cm}} wide. On October 28, 1971, while still under construction, a {{convert|6|ft|m|spell=in|adj=mid|-long}} crack was found on the west span of this girder that required a $5.5 million redesign and repair. The ramps and approaches are steel [[Box girder bridge|box girders]]. If the lanes of the bridge were placed end-to-end, there are {{convert|3.27|mi||disp=preunit|lane-}} on the arch bridge and {{convert|14.12|mi||disp=preunit|lane-}} on the ramps and approaches.<ref name="Bottenberg" />

The center span of the bridge, where the rib of the arch is above the deck, is {{convert|902|ft}} long.<ref name="Bottenberg" /> It was fabricated in [[California]] then assembled at [[Swan Island Industrial Park]], {{convert|1.7|mi|km}} downstream.<ref name = "Wood-Wortman" /> After assembly it was floated on a [[barge]] the {{Convert|1.7|mi|km|adj=on}} trip to the construction site.<ref name="Bottenberg" /> On March 16, 1973, the {{convert|6,000|ST}} steel arch span was lifted {{convert|170|ft|m|abbr=on}} using 32 [[Jack (device)#Hydraulic jack|hydraulic jacks]]. At the time, it was listed in the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] as the heaviest lift ever completed.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Dwight A. |last=Smith |first2=James B. |last2=Norman |author-link2=James B. Norman |first3=Pieter T. |last3=Dykman |title=Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon |publisher=Oregon Historical Society Press |date=1989 |isbn=0-87595-205-4 |page=300}}</ref>

The bridge was opened on November 15, 1973,<ref name=opens>{{Cite news |title=Fremont Bridge opens with wheeze |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=November 16, 1973 |page=22}}</ref><ref name = "Wood-Wortman"/> at a final cost of $82 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|82|1971|r=0}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}),<ref name = "Wood-Wortman" /> most of which was financed by the [[Interstate highway|Federal Highway Administration]]. In 1976, an American flag and an [[Flag of Oregon|Oregon flag]] were added atop the structure as part of the bicentennial celebration for the United States.<ref name=flags>{{Cite news |title=News Q&A |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=May 1, 2005}}</ref> The flags were installed with the use of a [[helicopter]].<ref name="Bottenberg" /> The {{convert|15|x|25|ft|m|adj=on}} flags are attached to {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on}} tall flagpoles at the crest of the arches.<ref name=flags/>

==Falcon nest==
The Fremont Bridge was also the 26th [[Peregrine falcon]] nest site designated in Oregon in 1995 after the raptor was placed on the U.S. Threatened and [[Endangered Species]] list in 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Audubon Society of Portland |title=Fremont Bridge Peregrines: A Decade of Successful Nesting |url=http://www.audubonportland.org/issues/endangered-species/peregrine-falcon/portland-peregrines/fremont |access-date=January 11, 2010}}</ref>

The falcon has since been removed from the list and is now listed as least concern.<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=United States National Park Service|title= Peregrine falcon.
|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/peregrine-falcon.htm#:~:text=The%20American%20peregrine%20falcon%20was,most%20beautiful%20birds%20of%20prey.
|access-date=May 19, 2023}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The bridge as well as Portland's associated Fremont Street were named for [[John C. Frémont]] (1813–1890), an early explorer of ''[[The_Californias#Department_of_Mexico|Las Californias]]'' and the [[Oregon Country]]. He served in the [[United States Army]] at the time as a Captain and was later promoted to General. In 1856, he ran for president, but was defeated by [[James Buchanan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Snyder |first=Eugene E. |title=Portland Names and Neighborhoods: Their Historic Origin |location=Portland |publisher=[[Binford & Mort]] |date=1979 |page=133}}</ref>

==Gallery==
{{break}}
{{multiple image|perrow = 3
| total_width = 777
| align = center
| image_style =
| image1 = USACE Fremont Bridge Portland.jpg
| caption1 = Fremont Bridge and the skyline of Portland {{Circa|1988}}
| alt1 = Bridge and the skyline of Portland circa 1988
| image2 = FremontBridgeBottom.jpg
| caption2 = From the east end
| alt2 = Bridge from the east end
| image3 = Fremont bridge pedal 1230.jpeg
| caption3 = Annual [[Providence Bridge Pedal|Bridge Pedal]] on the top deck of the Fremont Bridge
| alt3 = Bridge Pedal bicycles on the top deck of the bridge
| image4 = Amtrak underneath Fremont Bridge.jpg
| caption4 = An [[Amtrak]] train passing beneath the Fremont Bridge
| alt4 = An Amtrak train passing beneath the Fremont Bridge
| image5 = Vigor and the Fremont Bridge.jpg
| caption5 = The Fremont Bridge from the University of Portland
| alt5 = Bridge from the University of Portland
| image6 = Fremont Bridge Sunset, Portland (19386167285).jpg
| caption6 = Looking west at the Fremont Bridge during sunset
| alt6 = Bridge at sunset
| footer =
}}



==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|Transport}}
*{{Portal-inline|Engineering}}
*{{Portal-inline|Oregon}}
*[[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]
*[[List of crossings of the Willamette River]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{HAER |survey=OR-104 |id=or0473 |title=Fremont Bridge, Spanning Willamette River, Portland, Multnomah County, OR |photos=18 |color=2 |dwgs=1 |data=42 |cap=2}}
*{{Structurae|id=20000554|title=Fremont Bridge}}

{{Bridges of Portland, Oregon}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure = Crossings
|place = [[Willamette River]]
|bridge = Fremont Bridge
|bridge signs = [[File:I-405 (big).svg|25px]] [[File:US 30.svg|20px]]
|upstream = [[Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)|Broadway Bridge]]
|upstream signs =
|downstream = [[Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1]]
|downstream signs = ''BNSF Railway''
}}

{{Eliot, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Northwest District, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Overlook, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Pearl District, Portland, Oregon}}

[[Category:Bridges in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1973]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 30]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Willamette River]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]
[[Category:Tied arch bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Road bridges in Oregon]]
[[Category:Bridges on the Interstate Highway System]]
[[Category:1973 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Pearl District, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Northwest District, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Eliot, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Overlook, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System]]
[[Category:Interstate 5]]
[[Category:Steel bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Girder bridges in the United States]]

Marquam Bridge

2025-06-19T14:24:51Z

2601:196:180:DC0:1943:61A5:96EC:2C4D: Link.

{{short description|Carries Interstate 5 traffic over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox bridge
|name=Marquam Bridge
|image=MarquamBridge.jpg
|image_size=300px
|caption=View from the south (from [[Ross Island Bridge]]) in 2005, before the [[Tilikum Crossing]] was built
|carries={{jct|state=OR|I|5}}
|crosses=[[Willamette River]]
|locale=[[Portland, Oregon]]
|maint=[[Oregon Department of Transportation|ODOT]]
|id=08328
|design=[[Cantilever bridge|Cantilever truss]]
|mainspan={{convert|440|ft}}
|length= {{convert|1043|ft}}
|width={{convert|57|ft}}
|clearance=<{{convert|35|ft}} northbound
|below={{convert|130|ft}}
|open=October 1966
|coordinates = {{coord|45.5079|-122.6690|display=inline,title}}
}}

The '''Marquam Bridge''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɑr|k|əm}} is a double-deck, [[cantilever bridge|steel-truss cantilever bridge]]<ref name="Bottenberg">{{Cite book |url={{Google books |laTfY36RfY0C |pg=PA97 |plainurl=yes}} |last=Bottenberg |first=R. |date=2007 |title=Bridges of Portland |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |access-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref> opened in 1966 that carries [[Interstate 5]] traffic across the [[Willamette River]] from south of downtown [[Portland, Oregon]], on the west side to the industrial area of inner [[Southeast Portland, Oregon|Southeast]] on the east. It is the busiest bridge in [[Oregon]], carrying 140,500 vehicles a day as of 2016.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Historical Traffic Data |url=https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Data/Documents/TVT_2016.pdf |journal=2016 Traffic Volumes on State Highways |publisher=Oregon Department of Transportation |access-date=July 3, 2018}}</ref> The upper deck carries northbound traffic; the lower deck carries southbound traffic. The Marquam also has on and off ramps for Interstate 405 on the south end of the bridge, while the terminus on the east bank of the river is near the interchange with [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|Interstate 84]].

==History==
Planning for the span started in 1956 as the last link in Oregon for the new [[Interstate Highway System]] for the main north-south route through the state.<ref name="hallman2015"/> Even prior to construction, it was decided to name the span after [[Philip Augustus Marquam|Philip Marquam]].<ref name="HAER"/> Marquam was a state legislator and [[Multnomah County]] judge, who owned much of [[Marquam Hill, Portland, Oregon|Marquam Hill]] where [[Oregon Health & Science University]] and the [[Veterans Affairs Medical Center]] now stand.<ref name="hallman2015">{{Cite news |last1=Hallman Jr. |first1=Tom |title=Marquam Bridge lacks beauty and basic amenities but excels in function: 'Spanning Oregon' |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland-bridges/2015/10/the_marquam_bridge_lacks_beaut.html |access-date=July 10, 2022 |work=Oregonlive / The Oregonian |date=October 24, 2015 |language=en}}</ref> Construction on the bridge's support piers began in January 1962.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wood |first=Sharon M. |date=May 14, 1984 |title=Marquam Bridge signals new life in the fast lane |page=B5 |work=The Oregonian}}</ref> Construction on the bridge finished on February 28, 1966.<ref name="HAER"/> The lower southbound deck was opened on October 4, 1966, and the upper northbound deck on October 18, 1966.<ref name="HAER"/>

[[File:MarquamBridgeHill.jpg|thumb|left|The Marquam Bridge over the Willamette River, viewed from the southwest, atop [[Marquam Hill, Portland, Oregon|Marquam Hill]]]]

The bridge was designed and built by the [[Oregon Department of Transportation]] at a cost of $14 million, equivalent to ${{Formatprice| {{Inflation|US|14000000|1966|r=-3}} }} today. Funds for the project came from the [[Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956|Federal Highway Transportation Act]].<ref name="HAER"/> The bridge was redecked in 1983.<ref name="HAER"/> In 1990, the approach lanes from both the east and west were widened to allow four lanes of traffic and an off-ramp to Water Avenue was built.<ref name="HAER"/> Due to its importance, the Marquam was the first Portland bridge to undergo a [[seismic retrofit]] in 1995, which included installation of Italian made [[Rolling-element bearing|bearings]] add to the piers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seismic Protection Devices Study – Marquam Bridge |url=https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Programs/ResearchDocuments/SeismicProtection.pdf |publisher=Oregon Department of Transportation |access-date=July 10, 2022 |date=April 2000}}</ref>

==Design==
The main span of the bridge is {{convert|440|ft|m|abbr=on}} long and the two side spans are {{convert|301|ft|m|abbr=on}} each for a total length of {{convert|1043|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="hallman2015"/> Vertical clearance of the lower deck is {{convert|130|ft|m}} and the upper deck is {{convert|20|ft|m}} above the lower. The Marquam was designed by [[Ivan D. Merchant]] and [[Pieter Kiewit Sons Company]] served as the general contractor.<ref name="HAER">{{Cite journal |title=Marquam Bridge |last=Dodds |first=Linda S. |journal=Historic American Engineering Record |issue=Willamette River Bridges Recording Project |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/or/or0400/or0476/data/or0476data.pdf |access-date=July 10, 2022}}</ref> At the eastern end of the bridge, on the lower deck, is a [[ramp stub]] which was intended to connect to the later abandoned [[Mount Hood Freeway]] project.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Federman |first=Stan |date=January 19, 1981 |title=Marquam interchange funding still far down road |page=B1 |work=The Oregonian}}</ref> The bridge was designed with four lanes in each direction.<ref name="HAER"/> It was the first double-deck freeway bridge in the state.<ref name="HAER"/> Part of the design process also utilized computers for various calculations.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boddie |first1=Ken |title=Where We Live: How the Marquam Bridge got its name |url=https://www.koin.com/news/where-we-live-how-the-marquam-bridge-got-its-name/ |website=KOIN.com |access-date=July 10, 2022 |date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>

The Marquam Bridge was built with economy in mind and the public at large reacted unfavorably to the structure's bland aesthetics, which included a formal protest from the Portland Arts Commission.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wood |first=Sharon |title=The Portland Bridge Book |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Oregon Historical Society]] |date=2001 |isbn= 0-87595-211-9}}</ref> (In particular, it blocked the view of downtown from the Union Avenue Viaduct.) This led to public input in the design of the [[Fremont Bridge (Portland)|Fremont Bridge]].<ref name="hallman2015"/> During Mayor [[Vera Katz]]'s State of the City address in 2001, she said, "It’s like having the [[Berlin Wall]] dividing east and west, with all the subtle charm of the [[Daytona 500]] smack dab in the middle of our city."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Don |newspaper=[[Portland Tribune]] |date=January 18, 2002 |title=East-side story |page=2 |url=http://www.riverfrontforpeople.org/media/012002_tribune.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011081739/http://www.riverfrontforpeople.org/media/012002_tribune.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 11, 2006 |access-date=May 23, 2015}}</ref> The bridge crosses over and runs parallel to parts of the now named [[Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade]].

==Future==
[[File:Marquam Bridge Portland.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A view of the bridge at dusk]]
Options to replace the bridge historically considered have been to reroute [[Interstate 5|I-5]] over the existing [[Interstate 405 (Oregon)|I-405]] alignment, connecting [[Interstate 84 (west)|I-84]] to I-5 at the [[Fremont Bridge (Portland)|Fremont Bridge]] interchange, following the [[U.S. Route 30 in Oregon|US 30]] alignment, and removing the Marquam permanently. Another option would build a tunnel under the Willamette River approximately following the existing I-5 alignment, and remove the Marquam Bridge permanently.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Proposals have been made to replace the Eastbank Freeway portion of I-5 with a tunnel, connecting with the existing alignment at the Marquam Bridge and the [[Rose Quarter]]. This would free up space along the Willamette River for development.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Maus |first1=Jonathan |title=Adams releases I-5 tunnel concept plan for public comment |url=http://bikeportland.org/2012/04/06/adams-releases-i-5-tunnel-concept-plan-for-public-comment-70050 |access-date=August 16, 2015 |work=Bike Portland |date=April 6, 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|Transport}}
*{{Portal-inline|Engineering}}
*{{Portal-inline|Oregon}}
*[[List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]
*[[List of crossings of the Willamette River]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
<div style="float:right">
{{Commons category}}
</div>
*{{HAER |survey=OR-106 |id=or0476 |title=Marquam Bridge, Spanning Willamette River at Interstate Highway 5, Portland, Multnomah County, OR |photos=12 |color=1 |data=12 |cap=2}}
*{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728115848/http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=24798&c=27928|date=July 28, 2012|title=Historical photo of construction}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060613233637/http://egov.oregon.gov/ODOT/TD/TDATA/tsm/tvt.shtml ODOT: Trans Dev – Transportation Data Traffic Counting Program]
*{{Structurae|id=20005467|title=Marquam Bridge}}
*{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306181412/http://www.pixelmap.com/sl_bridge_pdx.html#marquam|date=March 6, 2016|title=Photo gallery of the completed Marquam Bridge}}

{{Bridges of Portland, Oregon}}
{{Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure = Crossings
|place = [[Willamette River]]
|bridge = Marquam Bridge
|bridge signs = [[File:I-5 (big).svg|20px]]
|upstream = [[Tilikum Crossing]]
|upstream signs =
|downstream = [[Hawthorne Bridge]]
|downstream signs =
}}

{{South Portland, Portland, Oregon}}

[[Category:1966 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1966]]
[[Category:Bridges in Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Bridges on the Interstate Highway System]]
[[Category:Bridges over the Willamette River]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon]]
[[Category:Interstate 5]]
[[Category:Road bridges in Oregon]]
[[Category:Brooklyn, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:South Portland, Portland, Oregon]]
[[Category:Steel bridges in the United States]]
[[Category:Cantilever bridges in the United States]]