December 21, 1926
The Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon, was opened in what the Associated Press (AP) called “a fitting dedicatory ceremony.” This cantilever truss bridge, which carries U.S. Route 26 (Mount Hood Highway) across a section of the Willamette River between the southwest and southeast parts of Portland, is approximately 800 feet (250 meters) north of the island for which it is named. Ironically, though, there is no infrastructure providing direct access between that bridge and island.
The Ross Island Bridge was designed by renowned civil engineer Gustav Lindenthal, and its construction took place in the midst of a bridge-building boom in Portland. “Representatives of the state, county, and city took part in the dedication of the huge structure,” reported AP. “The bridge was decorated with flags and greens.” That day’s festivities also included a parade. A seven-year-old girl named Rosina Corbett christened the newly completed bridge, and Bishop Walter Taylor Sumner of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon delivered an invocation for the occasion.
Along with continuing to serve as a link for motor vehicles, the Ross Island Bridge has a pedestrian walkway. This bridge has been maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation since 1976.
Photo Credit: Steve Morgan (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
For more information on the Ross Island Bridge, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Island_Bridge
Transportation History 