The last of the four original central Portland bridges to be built after the Morrison-street bridge (1887), the Steel or Railroad bridge (1888) and the Madison-street bridge (1891). It was also the first to be built by a government entity instead of private concerns, and the first to be operated as a “free bridge” without tolls from the beginning.

The first Burnside Bridge, seen from the east bank of the Willamette looking west. Photo from historicbridges.org

Although the bridge opened to pedestrian and vehicular on July 4, 1894, it took longer for streetcar service to begin, with cars first operating across it on August 26, 1894. Initial service was provided by the Portland Consolidated Street Railway Company’s Vancouver and Woodlawn lines. The bridge served a variety of streetcar lines over the years, but by the time it was condemned in July 1924, only the Rose City Park and Beaumont lines crossed it.

Demolition of the bridge began immediately. Portland was building two other bridges at this time—the Sellwood and the Ross Island—and it was thought that material from the old Burnside structure could be reused for the new Sellwood Bridge. However, a report from Gustav Lindenthal, the famed New York engineer in charge of the bridge program, caused this plan to be abandoned. After some negotiation, the two fixed spans from the bridge were reused on two bridges on the road to the Bull Run power house. Because this road served the vital Bull Run drinking water catchment area, the city and Multnomah County were allowed to spend money to improve it, even though it was in Clackamas county.

Lines Served

• Beaumont (1911–1936)
• Burnside (1904–1915)
• East Ankeny (1892–1913*)
• Montavilla (1892–1948)
• Rose City Park (1907–1936)
• Vancouver (1888–1940)
• Woodlawn (1888–1937)

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