Broadway Bridge

First time over, i took the rail tram from my hotel by the Convention Center to the downtown area. It looked cool then. From the restaurant, I decided to walk back to the hotel. At night. 1.1 miles. In the dark. Oh noes! All the streets from Carlitas to the crowne Plaza had sidewalks. Had pedestrian push buttons and controls to get right off way. No problems with any other pedestrians nor cars. Going over the bridge though was the highlight. Took my time. Checked out the city scene with all the lights. Pretty cool for sure.

Love this bridge. Fun to bike over, it drops you off in the Pearl district. Has some really cool stairs that drop down to Naito Pkwy as well; kind of a cool shortcut :)

This is a cool bridge to walk or bike over. Great views of the river and city. This is also very close to the Amtrak station if you’re taking the train.

ANOTHER Iconic Portland Bridge! Great photo opportunities day and night... Area also gives great line of sight to the "Steel Bridge" and the "Fremont Bridge" as well as some Industrial Areas and Shipping Moorings... Pretty diverse area! Definitely check it out!

The Broadway Bridge in Portland, Oregon is an excellent spot for nightscape photography, as you’ve discovered. Its location provides a unique vantage point to capture the stunning Portland skyline, especially during the night when the city lights add a dramatic effect to the photographs. The bridge itself, with its distinctive red color and interesting architectural design, can be an intriguing subject or a complementary element in your compositions. Its large, open walkways make it a convenient spot for setting up photography equipment, and the relative safety of the area allows photographers to focus on their work without much concern. Moreover, the Broadway Bridge’s proximity to other scenic locations in Portland enhances its appeal. Photographers can easily explore various perspectives of the city, the Willamette River, and other nearby bridges, adding diversity to their portfolio. Overall, the Broadway Bridge is not just a functional piece of infrastructure but also a splendid location for photography enthusiasts. Its combination of safety, convenience, and scenic views makes it a must-visit destination for capturing the essence of Portland at night.

Another peaceful place to view the river and to watch trains cross the Willamette River on the Steele Bridge !!

One of the best views as your driving in to downtown Portland!

Great bridge to bike across...unless the bridge is up and raised way earlier than it needed to and you end up late for your meeting.

Yep, I review bridges, tunnels, and gates on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/collection/abcC5X49U7tk5Zl1kqfzEw/Bridges-Tunnels-and-Gates We crossed over the Broadway Bridge several times during our recent trip to Portland. We stayed in an Airbnb, not far from the bridge, on the Westside between Nob Hill and the Pearl District. The Broadway Bridge stood out to me because of its truss design and unique burnt orange color (technically, "Golden Gate red" or "international orange"). It also looked old and that's because it is -- the original bridge was built in 1911-1912 and opened in 1913. The bridge crosses over the Willamette River, which splits Portland into the east and west sides, north of downtown. Just east of the bridge is the Moda Center, home of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. According to ENR (the Engineering News-Record) in 2017, the Broadway Bridge was the seventh-longest drawbridge bridge in the world and one of only three remaining Rall bridges in use in America: https://www.enr.com/articles/42465-bridge-lift-system-rehab-is-full-of-surprises A Rall bridge is a type of drawbridge that uses large wheels on tracks with counterweights to open the bridge for big boats. The equipment is quite noticeable atop either side of the center span of the bridge. The Broadway Bridge has four lanes for vehicular traffic and two sidewalks. The north side has views of the Fremont Bridge (steel tied-arch bridge) and I-405 and the south has views of the Steel Bridge (double-deck vertical-lift bridge). The Broadway Bridge measures 1,742 feet or 0.33 miles in length. There are nice views of the city skyline and trees throughout.

I love that some reviewers added poetry because this bridge deserves it. It moves a whole lot of traffic and stands proud.

Repainted in 1963 from basic black to an eye-catching "Golden Gate" red, the Broadway Bridge is also one of the iconic bridges of Portland . It's a busy bridge with four lanes of traffic, streetcars, and wide sidewalks on both sides .When I lived in the area I used to live running from Lovejoy street to the foot of Union Station on the west . The bridge offers panoramic views of the river and downtown skyline and if running is not your jam you can also bike across it or take the staircase which connects to the pearl railway crossing and get in a good workout nevertheless. Broadway openings take longer than other movable bridges. Average opening times for Morrison, Burnside and Hawthorne bridges run from five to eight minutes. On the Broadway, openings can take 20 minutes or longer.

So we went to Portland a few weekends ago to celebrate an early birthday celebration for my upcoming birthday. It's tradition for Steve and I to go downtown and eat at a restaurant on an annual basis around this time of year. We had the added bonus of getting a taste of the Portland Winter Light Festival. But when we were ready to take our train back to our hotel the train we needed was not in service. Apparently a police related incident was going on. So Steve and I walked back to our hotel. We went across this bridge on the way back and at the time I didn't know I had it bookmarked as a place I've been wanting to visit so that was a nice, added bonus. The view from this bridge is fantastic to see downtown , the other bridges and the river It's over. Definitely a place to walk and admire the views from while exploring the bridges of Bridgetown!

I love the Broadway Bridge! The red color reminds me of those quaint bridges one often finds in remote country areas, but this one is right in the middle of the City! When I moved to Portland, I bought a house in The NE Grant Park area, so the Broadway Bridge was frequented a lot! It took me to the Pearl and the Alphabet District; I used it to get downtown; and as an avid Blazer fan, it brought me quickly and easily to watch my team. Today I walked it for the very first time. Seeking new ways to exercise during Covid-19 since my gym and pool are closed, walking all of the City bridges has become a goal, with the exception of the Fremont and Marcom for obvious reasons! Also discovering the myriad of parks and neighborhoods too. This quest has kept me sane and healthy during these times. Today I walked across the Steel and Burnside bridges via Tom McCall Park and the Eastbank Esplanade. I was about to head home when the sun briefly came out, and always an over achiever, I decided to walk a third bridge today. Bring on the Broadway Bridge with it's beautiful red brick coloring, old fashioned lamp posts hanging on the rails, and the rickety grated road for cars. Along both sides of the bridge is a decent pedestrian and bike path. As with all walking paths on bridges, please don't listen to your headset; pay attention as bikes fly past you so it's important to be aware of surroundings. Looking north, the view of the Fremont bridge and it's signature semi circle is stunning. I want to walk at sunset for a truly spectacular view. Looking south, views of the Steel Bridge and the Union Station watchtower clock shout iconic Portland. On the NW side near the Lovejoy intersection, the Albers Brothers Milling Company Building butts right up against the bridge. Walking on the North pathway, you can see four massive Grain containers painted with nostalgic images of grain containers sold in grocery stores. Oats, Buckwheat Flour, Flapjack Flour, and another Buckwheat flower are represented. Never once did I noticed these Huge painted containers driving across the bridge, hundreds and hundreds of times! Just goes to show you, when you slow down, turn off technology, your senses are completely heightened. Walking across the Broadway Bridge, I love it even more! Just one more bridge to walk across to reach my goal. Ross Island, I'm coming for you!

Like others here, I've been walking the beautiful bridges of Portland and this one was also a stunner. I loved the red paint, echoing Golden Gate Bridge and the red roofing of Union Station. The view of Fremont is amazing -- seeming to fly through the air with its lovely arch. I ate my lunch looking out at Steel Bridge. I loved the Albers Brothers Milling Company Building with its old-fashioned painted façade. The path is for both pedestrians and cyclists. I had a couple of close encounters as I was taking pics and made sure to keep an eye out after that. The single down-side was the approach to the bridge that came through a few homeless encampments. I don't know if it was just coincidence but there seemed to be a number of arguments and I decided not to make the return trip through the Rose Quarter.

The Bridge BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW I stood on the bridge at midnight, As the clocks were striking the hour, And the moon rose o'er the city, Behind the dark church-tower. I saw her bright reflection In the waters under me, Like a golden goblet falling And sinking into the sea. And far in the hazy distance Of that lovely night in June, The blaze of the flaming furnace Gleamed redder than the moon. Among the long, black rafters The wavering shadows lay, And the current that came from the ocean Seemed to lift and bear them away; As, sweeping and eddying through them, Rose the belated tide, And, streaming into the moonlight, The seaweed floated wide. And like those waters rushing Among the wooden piers, A flood of thoughts came o'er me That filled my eyes with tears. How often, O, how often, In the days that had gone by, I had stood on that bridge at midnight And gazed on that wave and sky! How often, O, how often, I had wished that the ebbing tide Would bear me away on its bosom O'er the ocean wild and wide! For my heart was hot and restless, And my life was full of care, And the burden laid upon me Seemed greater than I could bear. But now it has fallen from me, It is buried in the sea; And only the sorrow of others Throws its shadow over me. Yet whenever I cross the river On its bridge with wooden piers, Like the odor of brine from the ocean Comes the thought of other years. And I think how many thousands Of care-encumbered men, Each bearing his burden of sorrow, Have crossed the bridge since then. I see the long procession Still passing to and fro, The young heart hot and restless, And the old subdued and slow! And forever and forever, As long as the river flows, As long as the heart has passions, As long as life has woes; The moon and its broken reflection And its shadows shall appear, As the symbol of love in heaven, And its wavering image here.

We rode Lime scooters over this bridge and it was fun to see the view of Portland and to snap a few picture along the way. There's a staircase in the middle of the bridge and you can get a view of the skyline, which makes for a great photo backdrop!

Are they ever going to finish working on this bridge? It seems like it's been forever. It's a nice bridge. Good looking, red and when the views aren't blocked with reconstruction barricades and road work equipment, it is really good. It gets a lot more use then it used to, probably why they always seem to be working on it. When I first came to Portland it connected a bunch of warehouses and small businesses to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Lloyd Center, Now the Pearl District has a lot of people living where no one really lived before and the Coliseum has been joined with by the Rose Garden AKA Moda Center... So I leave it at 5 stars, where it is when the road crews are done...

Broadway Bridge (1913) Spanning the Willamette River, this old, red bridge connects downtown's Pearl District to the Northeast's Rose Quarter. A pedestrian and bicycle-friendly bridge, it offers a clear view of the Fremont Bridge and Union Station. Stop midway and enjoy scenic sights up and down the river. You can even see Mt. Hood from some spots. This bascule bridge opened for traffic in 1913 and is the seventh longest of its type in the world. The bridge uses counterweights to raise its midsection for passing ships.

LOL, I'm not sure why I'm reviewing a bridge or even why you can't review a bridge but I'm gonna try. Broadway is probably my favorite bridge in Portland. I like Steele a lot too but I think Broadway is a little more functional and here's why. When I'm biking in it's the fastest, most direct way to get into the city. If I'm driving same thing. I think it's a beautiful color, and the red looks nice against union station. I like when I'm driving and my car tires get in the trolley tracks and it shifts my car all around like it's on mushrooms. You get a good view up to Fremont and south toward town. Not at the Esplanade is closed for repairs I'm using it to run across during my lunch break. I hear it's going to be toast when the earthquake hit but I guess what you expect from a 100 y/o bridge. Also the traffic seems to move on it pretty steady. What the hell, five stars.

The Broadway Bridge is an excellent connection from where I currently live to the Pearl. It's convenient and generally always there for you, except when it's under construction, which it has been lately. Sometimes driving from Vancouver to downtown during rush hour you can save a considerable amount of time by getting off the I5 and going over the Broadway Bridge instead. It is frustrating when your tires slide on the Streetcar tracks in rainy weather, but we'll forgive the bridge that fault.

Yea! The Broadway Bridge is back and better than ever. The 9 bus no longer takes that irritating detour through Rose Quarter and heads straight over the bridge to destination City Center. It's nice to have another commute option. Sure, it looks like some kid cobbled it together with an Erector Set, but I love the stylish red of the Broadway Bridge. My second most favorite bridge in town.

The Broadway Bridge has always had a sense of grandeur to me. When you drive or ride across, the approach into downtown is around a curve and gradually downhill before one enters the bridge. Broadway is broad at this point and passes the Memorial Coliseum. I think some of the feelings (or maybe delusions???) of grandeur is that the Grand Floral Rose Festival Parade leaves the the Memorial Coliseum and crosses this red bridge to head into downtown across the bridge. I loved that in childhood in particular because I wanted to be Rose Festival Queen and ride down that route waving enthusiastically when the time was right (wearing the fancy dresses, the scepter, the (shiver) crown, and all the other accompanying goodies did not hurt my feelings either). How I thought this was going to be achieved I did not know, because my school district did not participate in the princess selection process (only students from Portland Public Schools could do that then), but, you know, positive thinking can change things, right? What's weird is that the Rose Festival Association came to hold tryouts at my grade school for Junior Rose Festival Princesses when I was in third grade. I was sure my positive thinking had won the day, and I loved auditioning, but sadly my school never heard back from them and it's only been the last few years that candidates from my high school alma mater have participated in the "ambassador" selection (Princesses, sigh, are no longer politically correct). Nowadays, The Broadway Bridge is just that, a bridge, but is really pretty cool still. It was built in 1912/1913 and is is the longest span (1762 feet) of its type in the United States. It's located near the railroad yards, shipping docks, and industrial districts, and up until the past several years by some pretty rough areas nearest the river. Developers discovered the possibilities there and of course that area of Portland is prettier now. Because of its age, there's frequent repair work that goes on. My favorite project was the repainting of the bridge not long ago, and the plastic shroud they wrapped the bridge up in for that looked unbelievably fabulous. This set off lots of thoughts (again delusions??) in my head about what a great backdrop for a movie or TV show this would have made. I really am uncomfortable being on or driving across bridges here in Portland, always a white-knuckle affair, but The Broadway Bridge is the one I'm the most comfortable on (perhaps because of happy princess thoughts??), but Broadway Bridge this is my bouquet of roses and crown to you as the grandest bridge in Portland.

My Broadway's back and it's better than before! Hey now, hey now, my Broadway's back! The Broadway Bridge was under construction for EVER. It was a total pain in the ass as it's my preferred bridge to mosey on downtown but now the street car installation is complete and the bridge is better than ever. I love taking Broadway into downtown and already being right smack in the middle of everything. I also love turning on Lovejoy and effortlessly gaining access to the Pearl and NW 23rd. The Broadway Bridge is my passageway to all cool things on the west side. The bridge itself is pretty. So pretty. I love the red color, the structure and the historical significance. It was built in 1913 and at the time, it was the longest bascule bridge (read: it opens) in the world and still the longest in existence (thanks, Wikipedia). The Broadway Bridge has access for cars, pedestrians, bicycles and now street car riders, making it one of the most useful bridges in Portland. Every time I cross it, which is rather often, I enjoy the view of the Willamette River and often the sunset. In my humble opinion, the Broadway Bridge is the sexiest bridge in Portland. Hey now, hey now, my Broadway's back!

5 stars from a runners point of view: The walking/biking path is partitioned from the road traffic by the bridge beams, major pedestrian points as there are two lanes of traffic headed in both east bound and west bound directions, and two pathways for pedestrians on both sides of the bridge. Broadway Bridge crosses over Interstate Ave, links W. Broadway to E. Broadway, the Pearl district to Lloyd center and if you are in a bind there are gas station aplenty of the east side of the bridge -not so much on the west side- or if you want a fresh pastry and coffee hit Lovejoy Bakers right at the bottom of the bridge on the west side. I dig this bridge for its pedestrian paths on both sides and the ample space it gives for both runners and bikers. I love running across Broadway on the northern part (side nearest the Fremont bridge) on a summers night, at about 7:30p you get the sun lowering behind the Fremont bridge and can soak in the rays bouncing off of the Willamette river, I really enjoy this sight - you catch a bit of the city landscape from the south and the industrial sights to the north: Business up North, Party out Back:) Once you've crossed over to the west side [You'll have landed in the Pearl District] you can take the stairs down and maintain a road run with light traffic (north) up NW Natio Park Way (down or south towards the city and saturday market)- [both routes offer a run along the river] or descend your run off the bridge heading straight and wind up on NW Lovejoy street and continue your foot adventure through the city (careful; traffic stops, dogs, and people galore) I like to make a right turn on 10th and head to the open field park -totes perfect for some stretching and relaxing and even some train watching. From time to time this bridge lifts, and can stop all movement across from east to west, but if you aren't in a hurry it sure is a nice one to be stuck on. this bridge is also a nice detour when hitting I5 or I405 traffic, I skip the parking lot on Fremont Bridge and cross over to the east side through the city routes, it also makes getting to the Rose Quarter super easy.

I've been crossing this Bridge for 31+ years to work until my Retirement in 2002! Almost everyday through those years on my drive to work? And seen it painted and repainted about every 5 years? It's a Beautiful Bridge with the old Flour silo's side by side with the painted murals giving it some wholesome character!'' 5 stars*****! ''Thank you''

Great bridge. Excellent for getting from one side of the river............. to the other. High-quality pedestrian walkway. A very good place for river-crossers

It's so nice that the Broadway Bridge is operational is again. When the Bridge is up or not open the bike ride to downtown is hellish. However, when it is open, wow! The commute is so much faster and avoiding the Rose Quarter is much preferred. The views are decent and the sunset is magnificent.

The walk/bike walkway under the bridge is great! You don't have to deal with traffic at all. The best part is when a train is going by. It is right next to the walkway but there is no way over to it. I love trains. It is a perfect place to cross the river.