Old pilings and the Fremont Bridge, Willamette River Greenway (bobcat)

• Hikes to this destination:
  • Eastbank Esplanade-Waterfront Park Loop Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)

• Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
• Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
• Latitude, Longitude: 45.53784, -122.68312
• Elevation: 175 feet

Description

The Fremont Bridge ferries I-405 (here also U.S. Highway 30) over the Willamette River in two four-lane decks. The bridge's main span is the longest of any bridge in Oregon, and the Fremont Bridge is the second longest tied-arch bridge in the world. The bridge was completed in November 1973.

The bridge's attractive design arose out of public complaints about the "ugly" and utilitarian style of the I-5 Marquam Bridge. In the end, the bridge cost $82 million to construct in large part due to the effort put into the visual effect (Most of these were federal transportation dollars). This was six times the cost of the Marquam Bridge. The bridge is named after John C. Fremont, a 19th century explorer of the American West.

More Links

• Fremont Bridge (Portland, Oregon) (Wikipedia)
• "'Spanning Oregon:' Fremont Bridge was the people's bridge from the start" (Oregon Live)
• "The Amazing Design Stories Behind Portland’s 5 Greatest Bridges" (Portland Monthly)

Contributors

• bobcat (creator)