Fremont Bridge construction slides, 1973 March
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of fifty-six 35-mm color slides depicting the construction of the Fremont Bridge, when the main span of the bridge was transported by barge down the Willamette River and lifted into place in March 1973. The slides were taken for the Oregon Department of Transportation by an unknown photographer. The collection includes typescript descriptions of each slide (note: the descriptions identify images of the span prior to lift as being taken on March 21, but the actual lift occurred March 15-16).
Dates
- Creation: 1973 March
Creator
- Oregon. Department of Transportation (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Historical Note
The Fremont Bridge in Portland, Oregon, which carries Interstate 405 and US 30 traffic over the Willamette River, opened on November 15, 1973. With a main span length of 1,255 feet, it was the longest tied-arch bridge in the world until 2004. The March 1973 hoisting of the 900-foot, 6,000-ton center span, floated 1.7 miles up the Willamette on two barges from its assembly site at Swan Island, was at the time the heaviest bridge lift ever completed. During the 50-hour lift, the span was raised 175 feet using 32 hydraulic jacks.
Source: Wortman, Sharon Wood with Ed Wortman. The Portland Bridge Book, 3rd ed. (Portland: Urban Adventure Press, 2006).
Extent
0.04 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared document case)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Slides taken for the Oregon Department of Transportation, depicting the center-arch span of the Fremont Bridge in Portland, Oregon being hoisted into place in March 1973. The images show the 6000-ton steel span being floated by barge down the Willamette River and lifted 175 feet, the heaviest bridge lift ever completed at the time.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Faith Stefens/Oregon Department of Transportation, January 1981 (Lib. Acc. 15381/Photo Acc. 981D014).
- Title
- Guide to the Fremont Bridge construction slides, 1973 March
- Status
- Under Review
- Author
- Jane Monson
- Date
- 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org