Viewed from the Portland waterfront, the Burnside Bridge with the bridge open, circa 1926.
Courtesy of Portland City Archives, AP/23189
Jennifer Durbin loves her job. As an on-call bridge operator for Multnomah County, her workspace includes a view of Portland that few others have.
On a sunny Thursday morning, Durbin stood on the balcony of one of Portland’s most iconic landmarks, the Burnside Bridge. It offers a stunning view of both sides of the Willamette River.
“You can see basically everything,” Durbin said. “You can see the waterfront, you can see downtown. Sometimes the sea lions pop up. It’s really cool watching everything.”
The Burnside Bridge turned 100 years old on Thursday, and is among the most storied of the city’s 12 major bridges.
More than 40 years ago, OPB talked with another bridge operator, Pam Petri, who was so inspired by the view that she translated it into monumental tapestries.
“From the middle, seeing the landscape is really wonderful,” Petri said. “It has made me see my home town in a different way.
Completed in 1926, the bridge is known for its unique Italian Renaissance-style towers and its key role in connecting downtown Portland with the city’s central eastside.
It was designed by Joseph Strauss, who later designed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Related: VIEW: Original drawings for Burnside Bridge
Almost everything around it, including its entrance from the east side, has changed a lot in the last 100 years. But Multnomah County Transportation Division Director Jon Henrichsen said the bridge has only had a handful of updates. The motor for the bridge lift was replaced, and the number of traffic lanes was reduced from six to five in 1995.
FILE: The completed Burnside Bridge, circa 1926, with the bascule spans in an open position allowing a ship to pass through.
Courtesy of Portland City Archives, AP/23369
“The vast majority of the bridge is still original,” Henrichsen said.
That’s evident inside the control tower. It’s a tiny space, with steep winding stairs that lead up into the control room. That’s where operators like Durbin lift the bridge for oncoming ships.
“It has a lot of character,” Durbin said. “It’s the smallest tower that we work on and it’s pretty cozy.”
The operations extend below the bridge, where the massive concrete counterweights are held. Each counterweight, which allows the bridge to move up and down, weighs around 3.8 million pounds. That’s equivalent to about 100 semi-trucks. Henrichsen said they can also add more weight with gigantic concrete slabs that weigh another 10,000 pounds.
Throughout its lifespan, the Burnside Bridge has also been the frequent site of major protests in Portland. That includes 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the most recent “No Kings” protest in March.
FILE: Devin Boss, left, leads thousands of protesters across the Burnside Bridge on June 3, 2020.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
While the past century for the Burnside Bridge has been well documented, its future is far more foggy. The county has plans to completely replace the bridge with one that could survive a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.
Originally, construction was scheduled to start in 2027, with the bridge closing for five years. But the project has been plagued with multiple delays. The county has had trouble raising money for the project, which will cost between $1.6 and $1.8 billion, nearly double the original estimate.
Related: Construction delayed again for earthquake-ready Burnside Bridge in Portland
Henrichsen said the county can raise $750 million on its own, but is reliant on federal grants to make up the gap. Until that happens, the project remains on pause.
Currently, there is no official estimated time for when the new bridge could be completed.
“The most recent schedule we had was 2033 with an opening date,” he said. “We won’t make that.”
The bridge turned 100 years old on May 28. But Multnomah County held a centennial celebration on Saturday, closing the bridge to vehicle traffic for most of the afternoon.
FILE: The Burnside Bridge is opened, allowing passage of the USS Jouett missile cruiser, circa 1985.
Courtesy of Portland City Archives, AP/89872
