Portland's Bridges and NET
Hawthorne Bridge
The Hawthorne Bridge is the oldest operating vertical lift bridge in the United States. The Hawthorne Bridge was designed by renowned Kansas City engineering firm Waddell & Harrington and its steel superstructure was made by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. It replaced the wooden Madison Street Bridge, opening to pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and street cars in late 1910 as just the third major vertical lift bridge in the country. Like many landmarks around Portland, the bridge takes its name from 19th-century physician James C. Hawthorne.
Today, the Hawthorne still largely relies on its original operating system, plus electrical power and controls installed in 1975. Those were updated in 1999 during a project that also widened the bridge’s sidewalks and strengthened the deck.
