2009 Trail/UP/1913 Southern Pacific Bridge over Willamette River in Salem, OR

(Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Aban RR Map; Satellite)

I notice that it still has a wooden trestle on the west side.

Street View

The bridge is 35' above mean low water, which was designed to hold the rails 5' above a maximum flood. The lift span would accommodate boats during high water. The last train was in the early 1990s, so UP, which acquired SP in 1996, sold the bridge to the City of Salem in 2004 for $1. And the last steamboat was a while ago. The U.S. Coast Guard granted permission to close the lift span permanently in 1980 so the trail could use the lift span in its closed position. UP provided a $550,000 fund for maintenance and $3.2 million was spent to connect it to a 20 mile long trail system. The deck for the pedestrian bridge can carry emergency vehicles "in the event of a highway bridge closure." [CityOfSalem]

Digitized by Google

Harold Bruegeman posted five photos with the comment: "Union St. bridge over the Wallamette river in Salem Oregon, it's now a rails to trails bridge."

[He caught the river running higher than normal.]

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The river level does vary widely.

Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
The Union Street Railroad Bridge in Salem on the Willamette River. It now is configured for pedestrians, bicyclists, and emergency vehicles.