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Project funding will cover up to $30,000 of the costs to remove, relocate, and re-erect the bridge
Clackamas County and the Oregon Department of Transportation are seeking private or public entities interested in using the obsolete bridge structure for their own use at another site. The bridge is being donated to a secondary party “as-is” and does not state or imply any warranty as to its structural soundness.
The Bull Run River Bridge was originally constructed as the west flanking span of the original 1894 Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon. The bridge was deconstructed in 1924, and the steel and wrought-iron bridge components were given to the City of Portland Water Bureau and then Clackamas County who reconstructed the bridge in 1926 to replace a covered wood bridge on SE Bull Run Road. The bridge celebrated its 100th year at its current location in 2026 and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Bull Run River Bridge features include:
- Pin-connected Pennsylvania-Petit through truss
- 245 feet long
- 27.2 feet wide
- Single span steel and wrought-iron truss
- Ornamental wrought-iron ship wheels at the top outer corners of each portal frame
- Protective ODOT green coating with underlying layers of lead-based paint
Those interested in assuming ownership of the Bull Run River Bridge and moving it to another site must submit written statements of interest by December 27, 2026 to: Jordan Cools, PE, Project Manager, Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development, 150 Beavercreek Road, Oregon City, OR 97045. As-built plans and a draft relocation agreement will be provided.
Statements of interest must include:
- proposed use for the bridge;
- location map, site plan, and photograph(s) of the proposed location; and
- specific plans for hauling, and re-erecting the bridge. The construction contractor will be dismantling the bridge.
Project funding will cover up to $30,000 of the costs to remove, relocate, and re-erect the bridge. The bridge’s recipient must cover all additional expenses over the available funds. These may include construction of new abutments or relocation costs. The statement of interest must include an evaluation of these expenses and availability of funds to cover these costs. Clackamas County will send desirable and feasible proposals to the Federal Highway Administration and the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office for review and approval. The county will only consider proposed uses that conform to the US Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties.”
Clackamas County will give preference to respondents who can relocate the Bull Run River Bridge within the construction contract’s timeframe, anticipated in 2028-2029, and whose proposals demonstrate a commitment to maintaining the bridge and the features that give the historic bridge its historic significance at a publicly accessible site. The recipient must also agree to assume all future legal and financial liability for the bridge’s operation and use of the historic bridge at its new location.
