Historic Oregon Bridge For Sale

If anyone is in the market for purchasing an old bridge here is your chance. Multnomah county in Oregon has put the 88-year-old Sellwood Bridge up for sale until September 12th. The bridge is Oregon's only bridge with a four-span continuous truss holding up the roadway and the only known highway bridge nationally with such distinction. Despite not being listed on the register of the National Register of Historic Places, simply qualifying to be on the list is enough to force the county to put the bridge up for sale. The National Historic Preservation Act states that Multnomah county must seek out potential buyers before they can demolish the bridge.

The Sellwood Bridge is currently not in the best condition with some describing it as decrepit and unsafe. A replacement bridge will be finished in 2016 and then the county will either hand the bridge over to its owner or more likely allow the contractor who built the new bridge to sell the scrap steel and concrete to a recycling company.

It is not know what the asking price is for the bridge but any potential buyers must be willing to pay a hefty price to move the bridge to its new home. County spokesman Mike pullen said they spent more than a million dollars to move the bridge 60 feet last year to give construction crews more room to build a new bridge. The bridge contains lead-based paint that must be contained during the move and cutting the bridge span would compromise the historic features of the bridge. Any buyer must prove they can safely move the bridge before they can make the purchase.  While it is highly unlikely someone will buy the bridge it is possible that someone with unlimited funds could pull it off. The county says they have one interested person who recomended turning it into a pedestrian and bicycle link between Lake Oswego and Milwaukie. If someone does not purchase the bridge, the county will save a few pieces from the bridge and place them in the county bridge office. They will also place a plaque on the new bridge to honor the
old historic bridge.