Ellsworth Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Ellsworth Street Bridge is a highway bridge that crosses the Willamette River
in Albany, Oregon
, United States
. Built in 1925, the two-lane structure carries U.S. Route 20
eastbound traffic, with the adjacent Lyon Street Bridge carrying westbound traffic. The 1090 feet (332.2 m)-long steel-truss bridge
was designed by Conde McCullough
and opened in 1926.
began building a new bridge across the river at the city in 1925 to carry vehicular traffic. Designed by state highway department bridge designer Conde McCullough, it was constructed by the Union Bridge Company based in Portland, Oregon
. The steel truss structure was completed in 1926.
When the bridge opened, the Albany-Corvallis Highway was completed. At the time the structure was named the Albany Bridge. In 1973, the neighboring Lyon Street Bridge was completed to the east to expand capacity to a total of four lanes between the two bridges. Ellsworth Street Bridge was refurbished in 1971 and 2002. As of 2004, the bridge handled an average of 9,850 cars per day.
south into downtown Albany
at milepost
10.44. The bridge’s main span
consists of four steel thru-trusses in the Parker style, each 200 feet (61 m) in length. Ellsworth Street Bridge is a total of 1090 feet (332.2 m) long and 26 feet (7.9 m) wide with a vertical clearance of 25 feet (7.6 m). The seven concrete approaches are of a girder design. The green colored bridge also has ornate concrete railings and entrance pylons. Ellsworth Street Bridge was of the few steel truss bridges completed while McCullough was in charge of bridge design in Oregon, and it is one of the few multi-span steel truss bridges remaining in the state.
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in Albany, Oregon
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Built in 1925, the two-lane structure carries U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 in Oregon
U.S. Route 20 in Oregon is a major east–west cross-state highway, especially east of the Cascade Mountains. It connects U.S. Route 101 in Newport on the central Oregon Coast to the Idaho state line east of Nyssa.- Route description :...
eastbound traffic, with the adjacent Lyon Street Bridge carrying westbound traffic. The 1090 feet (332.2 m)-long steel-truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
was designed by Conde McCullough
Conde McCullough
Conde Balcom McCullough was a U.S. bridge engineer who is primarily known for designing many of Oregon's coastal bridges on U.S. Route 101. The native of South Dakota worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation from 1919 to 1935 and 1937 until 1946...
and opened in 1926.
History
In 1887, a bridge was built across the Willamette River at Albany for the Corvallis and Eastern railway followed by the Steel Bridge built in 1893 just down river. The state of OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
began building a new bridge across the river at the city in 1925 to carry vehicular traffic. Designed by state highway department bridge designer Conde McCullough, it was constructed by the Union Bridge Company based in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The steel truss structure was completed in 1926.
When the bridge opened, the Albany-Corvallis Highway was completed. At the time the structure was named the Albany Bridge. In 1973, the neighboring Lyon Street Bridge was completed to the east to expand capacity to a total of four lanes between the two bridges. Ellsworth Street Bridge was refurbished in 1971 and 2002. As of 2004, the bridge handled an average of 9,850 cars per day.
Details
Classified as functionally obsolete with a 53.8% sufficiency rating, the two-lane bridge carries eastbound traffic of U.S. Route 20U.S. Route 20 in Oregon
U.S. Route 20 in Oregon is a major east–west cross-state highway, especially east of the Cascade Mountains. It connects U.S. Route 101 in Newport on the central Oregon Coast to the Idaho state line east of Nyssa.- Route description :...
south into downtown Albany
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
at milepost
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
10.44. The bridge’s main span
Span (architecture)
Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...
consists of four steel thru-trusses in the Parker style, each 200 feet (61 m) in length. Ellsworth Street Bridge is a total of 1090 feet (332.2 m) long and 26 feet (7.9 m) wide with a vertical clearance of 25 feet (7.6 m). The seven concrete approaches are of a girder design. The green colored bridge also has ornate concrete railings and entrance pylons. Ellsworth Street Bridge was of the few steel truss bridges completed while McCullough was in charge of bridge design in Oregon, and it is one of the few multi-span steel truss bridges remaining in the state.
See also
- List of crossings of the Willamette River
- Picture from 2008