Dave Knows Portland

March 16, 1973: Fremont Bridge Span Lifted Into Place

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Fremont BridgeConstruction of the Fremont Bridge took several years, starting in the late 1960s, and it was opened in November, 1973. Perhaps the most dramatic part of construction, however, took place on March 16, 1973 when the central span, built in California and barged to Portland, was lifted into place.

The Oregonian reported the next day:

The biggest bridge lift in U.S. History ended at 5:30 pm Friday as 32 hydraulic jacks took their final bite on the 6,000-ton Fremont Bridge center span and hoisted it the final 2 1/4 inches into position.
Ironworkers immediately began fastening side plates to the 902-foot center span and the bridge approach ironwork so the arch would not sway over the weekend.
Engineers and ironworkers were told as soon as the plates were fastened that they could knock off for the weekend.

The Fremont Bridge is the second longest tied arch bridge in the world, only the Caiyuanba Bridge in China is longer. Until Tilikum Crossing opened in September 2015, the Fremont was the newest bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland.

March 6, 1915: Ground Broken for Interstate Bridge

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Morning Oregonian headline on March 7, 1915Construction of the Interstate Bridge connecting Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington began with dignitaries displacing ceremonial shovelfuls of Hayden Island sand on March 6, 1915.

The Morning Oregonian reported the next day:

It was a time of congratulations, following a long campaign for the bridge that has covered a period of years. Among the speakers were men who have been working since the inception of the project, and that their efforts have proved successful was said to mark a new and greater epoch in the development of both states.

The bridge opened on February 14, 1917 (Morning Oregonian, 15 February 1917). A trolley trial run was conducted on January 24, 1917, and the streetcars ran regular between Portland and Vancouver until the 1940s. The original span carries traffic northbound and traffic flows south on the newer, 1958, span.

February 25, 1919: Oregon Taxes Gasoline

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Oregon was the first state in the country to raise money for road construction by taxing gasoline consumption. The law took effect on February 25, 1919. The tax was $.01 per gallon.

Constructing and paving roads is something all the states were trying to figure out how to pay for, and within ten years every one of them (48 at that time) had followed Oregon’s lead and instituted a similar tax.

For a more thorough history of Oregon’s gasoline and other automobile taxes, visit Joseph Rose’s Hard Drive blog on OregonLive.com: A brief history of Oregon vehicle fees and fuel taxes.

February 24, 1967: Portland Built Car Ferry “Hiyu” Launches

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HiyuThe Hiyu, a Puget Sound bound car ferry built by Gunderson Brothers Engineering Corporation, was launched in Portland on February 24, 1967.

The Oregonian reported the next day:

The Hiyu is only the second important ferry built in Portland in 20 years. The other was the 172-foot M. R. Chessman, built in 1948 by Albina Engine & Machine Works, Inc., for the Astoria-Megler service. It was retired last year when the new bridge was opened for services.

She can carry 200 passengers and 34 cars, which isn’t that many compared to the other ferries in the fleet. Nevertheless, in Chinook hiyu means “big” or “plenty.”

The Hiyu started out on the Point Defiance-Tahlequah, Vashon Island route, and served admirably on several route until the late 90s, when she was mothballed . . . or so we thought. She was re-activated in 2007 and continues to ply the waters between Point Defiance and Tahlequah.

Credit: Hiyu photo by Jim Carson on Flickr, used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

February 18, 1891: Port of Portland Established

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Portland Harbor in 1899 (from Oregon Historical Society collection)On February 18, 1891 the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon established and incorporated the Port of Portland to Provide for the Improvement of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, in said Port, and Between said Port and the Sea.

The first task of the new public corporation was to construct and maintain a shipping channel in the Willamette and Columbia rivers.

In 1970 that original Port of Portland was merged with the Portland Commission of Public Docks to create the consolidated Port of Portland now responsible for overseeing Portland International Airport, general aviation, and marine activities in the tri-county area consisting of Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties.