WHAT: Morrison Bridge, built (most recently) in 1958
FUN FACT: The original Morrison Bridge was the city’s very first span across the Willamette. When it opened in 1887, it was the longest bridge west of the Mississippi.
WHY IT’S SPECIAL: Because it works! A low bar, sure, but one that the Morrison Bridge has spent most of the last six years struggling to clear. The bridge finally got its faulty deck debacle sorted out last year and reopened (for good, we hope) in October.
The Morrison was also one of four Multnomah County bridges added to the National Register of Historic Placesin 2012. The current span isn’t all that historic, but the original 1887 bridge created the first direct connection between downtown and the formerly separate city of East Portland. And it looked pretty darn cool.
AND THE #MORRISONBRIDGE INSTA-GRAMMY GOES TO…Thomas Greer (@thehonestdroner) for getting high. Really high.
QUOTABLE: “The bridge is crumbling. The deterioration has accelerated more than anticipated.” —attorney Joel Mullin in 2015, saying the last thing anyone wants to hear about a bridge
Flashback Friday is a weekly-ish series featuring people and events that shaped our city, and we’re binging on bridges right now. Read more about all our city’s bridges here.