Steel Bridge
Steel Bridge
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Address
Neighborhood: Pearl
How to get there
- Union Station • 7 min walk
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1,862 within 5 kms
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
37 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
21
Average
5
Poor
0
Terrible
0
minimize940314
Los Angeles, CA3,527 contributions
Feb 2023 • Solo
If you spend some time along the river banks of Willamette River, you should be able to catch a scene with this bridge in the distance. A nice looking bridge.
Written 30 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RandyRoss
Ridgetown, Canada11,743 contributions
Aug 2022
We drove over this historic steel lift bridge (top level) and I also walked over part of the lower level (train, bikes, pedestrians). It is an interesting design and certainly historic.
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America.
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America.
Written 26 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
512Okie
Dallas, TX142 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Iconic historic bridge in Portland. Easy to see from many parts of the city. It is worth a quick view. Go by when in Portland.
Written 29 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pthomas156
Newport, RI1,258 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Our hotel (Kimpton Vintage) had free bikes available so my husband and I borrowed two to do a bridge loop bike ride — we had seen it suggested in a book in Powell’s called 50 Bike Rides in Portland. I suspect a loop around the river could be done using many of the very cool bridges in Portland, but this is a good, flat short and scenic one. We went along the riverfront walk, over the Hawthorne Bridge, down the waterfront on the other side and across the Steele Bridge and back to our hotel. The Steele has great photo possibilities with a protected lane for stopping. It’s a real industrial feel with a ship in port in the distance and a giant bunch of silos or whatever right off the bridge. As it got sunnier, pleasure boats started to appear. Would have loved to see that drawbridge open! Two bridges from the Hawthorne is a pedestrian bridge if you’d like to lengthen the loop.
Written 9 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Queen J
California2,155 contributions
Aug 2019
I enjoyed walking across this small, historic bridge. Many good photo ops. An easy 8 minute walk from Tom McCall Park. Interesting architecture and nice views of the surrounding city and park areas. The pedestrian walkway has a tall railing on the river side and a short guardrail between the walkway and the bridge traffic.
The first Steel Bridge was built in 1888 and was replaced in 1912 by a vertical-lift span. It is the only telescoping vertical-lift bridge still operating in the country today. To let large freight ships pass, the bottom train deck opens without interfering with car, bike and truck traffic on the upper deck. It uses a telescoping truss that pulls the lower deck into the upper deck.
If you have time, stroll the Eastbank Esplanade and the floating concrete walkways on the side opposite downtown Portland. More photo ops of the Willamette River, bridges, Tom McCall Park, and the landscape of downtown Portland.
Because of its age, the lifts, and heavy traffic (literally heavy - 611 MAX train crossings per day), bridge repair is frequent and costly. Portland City officials are considering retiring this bridge in order to replace it with a more cost-effective modern bridge. Of course, that will require bond money and decades of planning, so you still have time to see it before this piece of history becomes another distant memory.
*If you have a fear of heights, you will probably want to avoid this bridge as it bounces with the traffic, especially as the MAX Train rumbles across the bridge every 5 or 10 minutes.
The first Steel Bridge was built in 1888 and was replaced in 1912 by a vertical-lift span. It is the only telescoping vertical-lift bridge still operating in the country today. To let large freight ships pass, the bottom train deck opens without interfering with car, bike and truck traffic on the upper deck. It uses a telescoping truss that pulls the lower deck into the upper deck.
If you have time, stroll the Eastbank Esplanade and the floating concrete walkways on the side opposite downtown Portland. More photo ops of the Willamette River, bridges, Tom McCall Park, and the landscape of downtown Portland.
Because of its age, the lifts, and heavy traffic (literally heavy - 611 MAX train crossings per day), bridge repair is frequent and costly. Portland City officials are considering retiring this bridge in order to replace it with a more cost-effective modern bridge. Of course, that will require bond money and decades of planning, so you still have time to see it before this piece of history becomes another distant memory.
*If you have a fear of heights, you will probably want to avoid this bridge as it bounces with the traffic, especially as the MAX Train rumbles across the bridge every 5 or 10 minutes.
Written 25 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karla A
Frisco, TX2 contributions
Oct 2019 • Solo
Steel bridge was great! Amazing views when you walk around the river. You can walk around the park, do not ride the electric scooters on there you will get fined. Grab a cup of coffee and sit on one of the benches and enjoy the amazing view.
Written 24 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gavatron07
Tasman, New Zealand478 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
We cycled back across the river on the lower deck of this bridge after crossing over upriver on the Tilikum Crossing bridge. Quite a contrast between the two.
Written 30 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B.W.
La Pine, OR154 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
I have a weird fear of bridges. My husband and I decided I should overcome that fear and walk across the bridge to explore downtown. The walk was scary (especially with traffic speeding by), but the view was pretty great. I'm glad we decided to walk across.
Written 29 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gary S
London, UK4,238 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
Pretty impressive bit of hardware that straddles the river here.
We walked our legs off going over and back in search of an imaginary rose garden.
The bridge looks hugely over engineered by today's standards. Robust timber and steel mix. Could almost be a Victorian design and construction.
Good to know one can access by foot.
Keen spot for cyclists too.
We walked our legs off going over and back in search of an imaginary rose garden.
The bridge looks hugely over engineered by today's standards. Robust timber and steel mix. Could almost be a Victorian design and construction.
Good to know one can access by foot.
Keen spot for cyclists too.
Written 2 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Autumn M
Stamford, CT3,421 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
Cross over this bridge to get a different vantage point of Portland. The bridge is itself is pretty.
Written 26 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Claim your listingSTEEL BRIDGE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Steel Bridge
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Steel Bridge:
- 2.5-hour Dinner Cruise on Willamette River (From ₱6,994.95)
- 2-hour Champagne Brunch Cruise on Willamette River (From ₱5,440.52)
- Discover Portland Half-Day Small-Group City Tour (From ₱3,955.48)
- Private Portland Discovery Tour (From ₱9,493.14)
- Portland (Along the Waterfront) Scavenger Hunt & Self-Guided Tour (From ₱779.44)
- Hotels near Steel Bridge:
- (0.15 km) Hampton Inn & Suites Portland-Pearl District
- (0.14 km) Canopy by Hilton Portland Pearl District
- (0.40 km) Mark Spencer Hotel
- (0.52 km) The Benson Portland, Curio Collection by Hilton
- (0.36 km) McMenamins Crystal Hotel
- Restaurants near Steel Bridge:
- (0.05 km) Verdun
- (0.05 km) Arden
- (0.05 km) Nuvrei
- (0.14 km) Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
- (0.20 km) Mediterranean Exploration Company