Morrison Bridge

Well, I think the Morrison bridge is just great. It’s always there when I need it. What more could you really ask for in a bridge? I mean, sure, it’s not a pretty as some of the Portland bridges, but it really pulls through when you need it. Consistency is valued here. Thank you, Morrison Bridge, for all that you do.

I love walking on this bridge. It is glorious and beautiful, just like Portland. The views are fantastic and the breeze feels great. The dedicated bike lane is wonderful for a speedy way across too. I love you Morison Bridge.

Great bridge, wide bike and foot-​paths. It has excellent views and ends near the hair of the dog brewery. ⁵⁄₅ would recommend.

The Morrison Bridge takes you from Southeast to Oldtown. It runs in a way that is compatible with the I-​5 and the I-​84. While the bridge itself looks beautiful, the scenery is even more beautiful. You can see the wonders of the more classical part of Portland with older buildings.
It’s location runs very close to Tom McCall Waterfront Park and as such is presented in a good light. There are little stones on the bridge that imply the kind of watchtowers on the Great Wall of China.
The finish of here feels less metallic than say the Steel Bridge, so this was built for extreme beauty.
Ultimately, the Morrison Bridge unites and connects our city literally and figuratively.

What can I say, this bridge is awesome. I can get to work off the Morrison Bridge by either taking water avenue or grand avenue. I can’t imagine having to get on the 84 or 5 during peak driving time, it is so convenient to have quick access to so much of PDX with this bridge. I also like that they maintain this bridge for repairs, upgrades and it is always clean. Overall, it has amazing views of the sunrise in the morning, and the sun feels good on your face when you are going over it from the SE side to the SW side.

Very pretty view of Portland.

— Nice colored lighting at night (you’ll see plenty of pics of it at the Saturday Market)
— large 4-​lane span to accommodate heavy traffic volume
— the ONLY local bridge with direct onramp access to I-​5N or I-​84E
— Spacious sidewalks on both sides for pedestrians and bikers
— It’s West-​side off-​ramp to Southbound Naito Parkway puts you super close to the world’s smallest city park (Mill End’s Park) :-)
It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done. The Morrison Bridge is just as important as its other bridgey-​brothers: Ross Island, Hawthorne, Burnside, Steel, and Broadway.

There are a lot of bridges in Portland and I walked across most of them during my visit; this one was particularly pretty in the evening with all the lights and given its location also quite nice for pictures. Additionally convenient for the days during which I was car-​bound I realize it seems strange to «review» a bridge, but something about this one really stuck out to me.

Morrison Bridge (1958)
Four one-​way streets converge on this city bridge that carries more than 55,000 cars every day. The bridge is also home to Oregon’s largest piece of mechanical engineering. Giant gears housed under the deck, lift the drawbridge. Once the longest span west of the Mississippi, this is the third bridge to be built at this site. It affords the best river view of Waterfront Park and the Hawthorne Bridge.

There’s a poem about Chicago by Carl Sandburg one line of which is «city of the big shoulders.» While I was thinking about reviewing this bridge, that’s the first thought that popped into my mind. The Morrison Bridge has the big shoulders needed to handle the traffic of the city and even its festivals (bridge raising for the ships). It’s not as architecturally attractive as are some of its sister bridges, but it gets the job done reliably without fuss, and that’s all anyone could ever ask of a bridge. I’ve always been happy that they chose the Morrison to light up. It’s a welcoming beacon to me driving into Portland along with the City of Portland-​White Stag sign.
It’s one of the first bridges I remember clearly from childhood because my family used it a lot either via I-​84 or coming downtown from East Multnomah County via Mt. Tabor and Belmont. It almost always meant good times, traveling downtown for Rose Festival or other city fun. It always seemed like we cruised across the Morrison quickly versus the funny stuttering drive across the Hawthorne. Even though I’m a white knuckled bridge crosser from childhood, this bridge has never given me the fear say that the Sellwood Bridge has instilled, even when it made us stop to wait while it raised for a ship.
You’re an old pal, Morrison Bridge, long may you rise for Rose Festival ships and carry on the daily business of the city.

Morrison is where everything I love in Portland started.
Morrison Hotel. 5050 SW Morrison. Morrison St. Apartments.
And of course the Morrison bridge can’t be left out.
For each and every day I traverse the broad expanse of high load bearing concrete over the troubled waters that are the willamette river to bring starbucks to my lover. I think the Morrison bridge loves me too, for it has never been raised upon my approach.

Occasionally useful going from Eastside to downtown and not an eyesore like the ugly highway bridges, but lacks the intimacy and deep connectedness of the Hawthorne and the Industrial magnificence of the Steel Bridge.
Perhaps some bunting…

Darn it, when I write an obviously-​not-​serious review of a bridge or Barack Obama Attorney at Law, please don’t flag it «useful»! That spoils the joke!

The only reason I’m reviewing this bridge is because I got stuck on this very short bridge for about 45 minutes as I was stuck in horrible Portland gridlock traffic during rush hour. Had nothing else to do but to check-​in and draft a review.

The Morrison Bridge is truly the red headed step child of Bridgetown.
Surrounded by more elaborately architected bridges it’s easy for it to get overlooked. Looks aside Morrision Bridge is a damn work horse, hooking up to the 5 freeway and handling traffic like nobodies business. I admit my bias as it is my neighbor and gets me to work daily without a hitch. As for biking I will say I prefer other bridges but even so, it is my favorite.

In Portland it’s easy to take a bridge walk and I’ve taken 4 over my several trips to the Rose City. Here are my stories…(Cue the Law and Order Clang).
The Morrison Bridge is a double leaf «Chicago Style» bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River. It was built in 1958 and replaced 1887 and 1905 bridges at this location.
The bridge is named after John L. Morrison, a Scottish immigrant who built the first home on Morrison Street. It’s the largest mechanical device in Oregon. 36 ft. tall gears drive 940-​ton counterweights located inside each of the piers. The 69 ft. clearance is sufficient for most river traffic, requiring bridge openings only about 30 times a month. It currently carries 50,000 vehicles daily in six lanes. The canted windows of the control tower give the distinctive look of air traffic control towers.
In 1987 the Morrison Bridge became the first bridge illuminated by the Willamette Light Brigade. In 2007 the original 16 colored floodlamps illuminating the concrete piers were replaced by energy efficient and computer controlled LEDs. Millions of colors may be selected for each of eight zones of the piers. Static and animated patterns may also be requested for a fee.
My walk across the bridge was interesting in the starkness of the East Side between the Burnside and Morrison spans, the various homeless residents, and «hanging» stairways (with turns in between) that should have been designed by M.C. Escher. And due to the heavy traffic on this bridge, it’s best not to take any shortcuts.