Although the current Morrison Bridge has never carried streetcar lines, it was still instrumental in the late history of electric traction in Portland. Construction work for the western approaches to the bridge in September 1956 obliterated the standard-gauge loop that interurban cars on the Bellrose and Oregon City lines used downtown, condemning the lines to terminate at SE 1st and Hawthorne without crossing the Hawthorne Bridge. Although connections with buses across the river were provided, ridership on the interurbans began to drop rapidly after this, leading to their final abandonment in 1958.

In April 1957, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission suggested that the interurban lines could be rerouted over the new Morrison Bridge, looping down to a new terminus on Front Street [Naito Parkway] underneath the bridge. This idea was rapidly rejected by Multnomah County, the owners of the bridge, on account of cost.

Lines Served

• None

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