Broadway Bridge, Fremont Bridge, Willamette River, Speed Boat

Broadway Bridge: Finished in 1913, this drawbridge marks the transition of Broadway Street from North-South (west side) to East-West (east side). The Broadway bridge is a unique double-leaf bascule span construction, 1,736 feet long, and was designed by Ralph Modjeski [1]. Modjeski was another world-famous bridge designer noted for, among other things, the Ben Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River between Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ. Modjeski also worked on other Oregon bridge projects between 1905-1915 [2].

Fremont Bridge: Finished in 1973, this is Portland's newest bridge over the Willamette. The double-decked Fremont Bridge connects northbound I-405 and westbound US-30 to I-5. It weighs 6,000 tons and was lifted 170 feet - a Guinness Book of World Records entry for heaviest lift ever made at the time.  The tied arch span is 902 feet long and was not built on-site but floated on the river into place. [1]

[1] Smith, Dwight. Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon. Second Edition. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society, 1989. P. 300.

This Shoot: Daybreak offers great photo opportunities at the Willamette River near downtown. Here the river was calm and the clouds were interesting.