Portland’s Ross Island Bridge, the only cantilever deck truss bridge in Oregon, opened on December 21, 1926 (Morning Oregonian, 22 December 1926).

Completion of the $2,000,000 Ross Island bridge, latest to span the Willamette river, and one of the most outstanding examples of the cantilever type to be constructed in America, was acknowledged formally yesterday in a fitting dedicatory ceremony.

From the time the vanguard of a parade, which had formed near Portland’s center, appeared over the crest of the bridge, until little Miss Rosina Corbett deftly broke a bottle of Bull Run water against one of the approach pillars, at once christening the bridge and announcing the close of the ceremony, the throng that covered the east approach of the bridge for fully a block attended earnestly the proceeding.

The Ross Island Bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, who also worked on the Burnside and Sellwood bridges. Over 3,700 feet long, the bridge’s 1,819 foot long truss includes a 535 foot main span and 29 approach spans.

The Hawthorne Bridge opened to traffic on December 19, 1910 (Morning Oregonian 20 December 1910).

“Let it open.”

In that pert sentence the Hawthorne bridge was accepted for the city by Mayor Simon yesterday after a discussion of minor defects in the machinery of the bridge, which for a time bid fair to delay acceptance of the viaduct for another fortnight. . .

The Mayor, other officials and bridgemen ascended on the lift 160 feet over the level of the river. Engineer Hicks, who will operate the lift for the county, handling the levers. The bridge was then officially accepted, Mayor Simon saying to Engineer Stutsman:

“I now turn this bridge over to you, Mr. Stutsman. You are now in full charge. The bridge is open to traffic.”

The 1,383 foot long Hawthorne Bridge is the oldest vertical lift bridge still operating in the country, and one of Portland’s busiest bridges. 30,000 cars and trucks, and thousands of pedestrians and cyclists cross it each day. Lifts are required approximately 200 times a month. It was designed by the engineering firm Waddell and Harrington and was constructed by the Pennsylvania Steel Co, United Engineering and Construction, and Robert Wakefield.

Portland’s Sellwood Bridge first opened to traffic on Tuesday, December 15, 1925 (Morning Oregonian, 16 December 1925).

For 21 years the ferry John F. Caples has done valient service in transporting Portlanders to and from Sellwood, connecting the east and west sides. Now it has been supplanted. During those years Portland has seen the development of the automobile: it has seen a vast increase in motor traffic, bringing with it harassing problems of vehicular control: it has seen a need created for greater ease of trans-river communication.

And so it is that yesterday saw the end of active service at Sellwood for the John F. Caples. In its place now towers the new $500,000 Sellwood bridge, which, at exercises attended by thousands of Portland residents, including hundreds of school children, was officially thrown open to traffic yesterday afternoon.

1,092 feet long and 28 feet wide, the Sellwood Bridge was the first fixed-span bridge on the lower Willamette River and a pioneer in area bridge technology. Gustav Lindenthal, a renowned bridge engineer, designed the bridge, and it was constructed by Portland’s Gilpin Construction Company.