Bull Run River Bridge

[View Larger Map]

Today's adventure takes us to the Bull Run River Bridge, which spans the Bull Run River north of Sandy. If the bridge looks familiar at all, you win extra credit points. This, like the nearby Lusted Road Bridge, is a recycled segment of the original Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland. That's the main reason I tracked this one down; I'm not sure I'd have bothered with something this small and remote otherwise, although it turns out the setting is rather attractive.

Despite the remote location, this area has several ties to Portland. Besides the bridge, the river itself is the source of much of Portland's drinking water. If the name sounds familiar, that's probably why. And directly downstream of the bridge is the old, abandoned Bull Run Powerhouse that once supplied electricity to the Portland area. There's a separate post in the works about the powerhouse and its history, but I've already uploaded the photos, so you can see them here if you're interested.

A traditional part of the ongoing bridge project involves walking over the bridge, taking a few photos, and maybe going on about whether it's safe or pleasant to do so. Unlike its sibling, the Bull Run bridge doesn't have a separate pedestrian walkway, so officially there's no way to get across without wheels. As a practical matter, the bridge isn't very long or very busy, so you'll probably be ok. Or at least that's what I did to snap a few quick photos looking down at the river, while keeping a close watch for approaching traffic. Your luck may vary widely, of course, so caveat ambulator ("let the walker beware").