Pdxguide

The Steel Bridge is a very special bridge. It is the only double-deck vertical lift bridge with independent lift decks (the lower deck can retract into the upper deck without the upper deck moving) in THE WORLD, and the second-oldest vertical lift bridge in North America (the first being our own Hawthorne Bridge)! The Steel was built in 1912 by the Union Pacific Railroad and its primary function was as a railroad bridge, but it accomodates much more than that! It’s the most diverse bridge maybe anywhere (as you’ll see by the users below). Its functionality was increased with the opening of the pedestrian walkway on the lower deck in 2001, completing the downtown waterfront loop. It’s quite the experience to ride your bike along the bottom deck while a freight train goes rumbling by!

USERS: upper deck: automotive traffic, MAX light rail, pedestrians, bicycles
lower deck: freight trains (UP, BNSF), Amtrak, pedestrians, bicycles

OWNER: Union Pacific Railroad, upper deck leased to Oregon Dept. of Transportation and subleased to TriMet

BICYCLES: the top deck is remedially bikeable, though narrow sidewalks and steep approaches from the west doesn’t make it that fun. Most bicycles use the bottom deck to get between downtown and Waterfront Park to the Eastbank Esplanade.

TECHNICAL INFO: through truss double lift bridge, main span 211 ft (64 m) long, lower deck 26 ft (8 m) above water, upper deck 72 ft (22 m) above water, 163 ft (50 m) of total vertical clearance when both decks are fully raised