Sellwood Bridge

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{{Infobox_Bridge |bridge_name=Sellwood Bridge |image=SellwoodBridge.jpg |crosses=Willamette River |locale=Portland, Oregon |mainspan=2 @ 300 ft |length=1,971 |open=December 15, 1925 |below=75 ft |lat=45.46429 |long=-122.66564}}

The Sellwood Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It was Portland's first fixed span bridge and, being the only river crossing for miles in each direction, is the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon. It links the Sellwood and Westmoreland neighborhoods of Portland on the east side with Oregon Highway 43/Macadam Avenue on the west side.

Designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the bridge opened on December 15, 1925 at a final cost of $541,000. In 1980 the approaches were reconstructed at a cost of $950,000. The weight limit on the bridge was lowered from 32 tons to 10 tons in January 2004 after the discovery of cracks in both concrete approaches. This has caused the diversion of 94 daily TriMet bus trips over the bridge. At present there is debate on whether the bridge should be repaired, rebuilt, closed altogether, or closed for automotive traffic (but left open for pedestrians and bicycles). Tacoma Street, which leads east from the bridge, is a neighborhood street and was not intended to connect to a bridge. A replacement is estimated at around $80 million.

The Sellwood bridge is 1,971 ft. long with 75 ft. of vertical waterway clearance. There are four continuous spans, the two center spans are 300 ft. long and the two outside spans are 246 ft. each. The girders from the old Burnside Bridge (built in 1894) were reused at each end. It provides a 24 foot roadway and one 4’ 3" (51 inches, 130 cm) sidewalk on the downstream side [1] , shared with street light standards which make the sidewalk width about 3 feet (36 inches, 91 cm). Allowing for safety clearances, there is less than 2 feet (24 inches, 61 cm) usable sidewalk. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance lists the Sellwood Bridge as one of the top ten priorities for improving Portland's bicycling. [2]

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