Steel Bridge (Eastbank Esplanade)

The standing point is on the paved Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade where it meets the Eastbank Esplanade Access ramp, on the Willamette's east bank at the foot of the Steel Bridge. Union Pacific's elevated approach trestle curves in from the southeast a few dozen metres away, so trains pass close by before straightening onto the bridge. From here you look along the structure rather than at its side: the bridge axis runs at about 238 degrees and the lift span, 190 m (620 ft) away over the river, sits at about 257 degrees, so the view is a steep three-quarter angle down the length of the bridge. For a side-on view of the south face, walk south along the esplanade: a few hundred metres downstream the line of sight to the lift span turns to the north-northwest, close to perpendicular to the bridge. The esplanade is a shared path, so cyclists and joggers pass behind you.

An urban river setting: the Willamette River below, the steel through-truss towers of the Steel Bridge ahead, downtown Portland and Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park on the far (west) bank, and the Rose Quarter directly behind. The approach trestle and the I-5/I-84 interchange keep the soundtrack busy with road noise; the esplanade itself is a seawall-backed promenade at water level.

The Steel Bridge opened to rail traffic in July 1912 and to automobiles on August 9, 1912. It was designed by the engineering firm Waddell & Harrington and built by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company (OWR&N) at a cost of $1.7 million. It is described as the only double-deck bridge in the world with independent lifts: the lower deck can be raised to 72 feet (22 m), telescoping into the upper deck without disturbing it. In 2001 a cantilevered walkway, 220 feet (67 m) long and 8 feet (2.4 m) wide, was added on the south side of the lower deck, linking the east bank to the west bank alongside the tracks.

Two decks, eight kinds of traffic: freight trains, Amtrak, pedestrians and bicycles on the lower deck; cars, trucks, buses and MAX light rail on the upper deck. At low river levels the lower deck is only 26 feet (7.9 m) above the water, so it can lift on its own for river traffic while the upper deck stays in service.