Vista Bridge

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Vista Bridge

Carries	Vehicles and Pedestrians
Crosses	Street and light rail lines
Locale	Portland, Oregon
Maintained by	Multnomah County
Total length	248 ft
Height	120 ft
Opening date	1926^[1]^[2]
Coordinates	45°31′09″N 122°41′52″W / 45.519096, -122.697788Coordinates: 45°31′09″N 122°41′52″W / 45.519096, -122.697788

The Vista Bridge is an arch bridge for vehicles and pedestrians located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It connects the neighborhoods of King's Hill and Portland Heights via Vista Avenue above the Goose Hollow area. The MAX Light Rail line and Jefferson Street travel under the bridge.

Alternately known as the Vista Avenue Viaduct, the bridge has four pedestrian balconies, two on each side.^[3] The 248-foot long structure was designed by architect Fred T. Fowler.^[3] It is of a rib-reinforced concrete deck arch design.^[3] Completed in 1926, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 1984.^[4]

A predecessor to the bridge was built in 1903 which allowed streetcar access to the neighborhood. It was torn down a few years later.^[5] This bridge was once nicknamed the "Suicide Bridge" because of the people that jumped from it during the Great Depression in the 1930s. In 1991, several bungee jumps were filmed here for an Oregon Lottery advertisement.^[6]

Detail of light standards and benches mid span and view of downtown and east Portland

[edit] References

^ Portland Transportation History Timeline
^ The placards at the north end of the bridge say 1925. See photograph.
^ ^a ^b ^c Norman, James B. (1991). Portland's Architectural Heritage: National Register Properties of the Portland Metropolitan Area. Portland, Or: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 136.
^ Oregon National Register List. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (July 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
^ Laura O. Foster (2005). Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods. Timber Press. ISBN 9780881926927. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
^ Tom Hallman Jr. (April 4, 1991). Stunt jump off bridge lures critics. Bungee.com quoting The Oregonian. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.

v • d • e Bridges in the metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon

Across the Willamette River (north to south)	St. Johns Bridge - Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1 - Fremont Bridge - Broadway Bridge - Steel Bridge - Burnside Bridge - Morrison Bridge - Hawthorne Bridge - Marquam Bridge - Ross Island Bridge - Sellwood Bridge - Lake Oswego Railroad Bridge - Abernethy Bridge - Oregon City Bridge

Across the Columbia River (west to east)	Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 9.6 - Interstate Bridge - Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge

miscellaneous	Blue Bridge (Reed College campus) - Vista Bridge (Goose Hollow)

See also: Transportation in Portland, Oregon • List of crossings of the Columbia River • List of crossings of the Willamette River