National Park Service Lists Balch Gulch Bridge in Portland, Multnomah County, in the National Register of Historic Places

The Balch Gulch Bridge, which spans the Lower Macleay Trail in Northwest Portland, is among Oregon's latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge's nomination was recommended by Oregon's State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (SACHP) at its June 2025 meeting and officially approved by the National Park Service in September. Its inclusion in the National Register underscores the value of preserving Oregon's infrastructure and the stories it tells about community development and engineering innovation. Today, the bridge remains a symbol of Portland's development and planning during a defining moment in its history.

The Balch Gulch Bridge played a key role in the growth of Northwest Portland. When it opened in 1905, the bridge significantly improved connectivity to the Willamette Heights neighborhood by extending streetcar service across the deep gulley containing Balch Creek. This improved access made the area more attractive to new residents and helped spur a wave of development that lasted nearly a decade. The timing of the bridge's completion also aligned with the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial, held nearby at Guild's Lake. The City of Portland promoted the streetcar route into Willamette Heights as a scenic outing for fairgoers, and several viewpoints accessible via the bridge were featured in promotional images of the fairgrounds. These efforts helped elevate the city's image and attract outside investment, while the bridge itself played a central role in shaping the immediate area's early growth.

In addition to its historical impact, the Balch Gulch Bridge is also recognized for its engineering significance. The bridge stands as a rare surviving example of its type and of a connection technology that fell out of use more than a century ago. Its two steel trusses-the load-bearing framework made of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal members forming a series of triangles-are fastened with flexible pin connections. This method was widely used in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but was eventually replaced by rivets and, later, bolts. Today, only thirteen pin-connected highway bridges remain in Oregon, and among them, the Balch Gulch Bridge is the only one with a deck truss configuration, meaning its trusses are located beneath the road surface. As such, the Balch Gulch Bridge offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of bridge design and turn-of-the-century engineering technologies.

In 2014, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) completed a comprehensive rehabilitation of the bridge by replacing all components above the historic deck trusses. As part of the project, the historic bridge was carefully restored with a new sidewalk, deck, and handrail system. The riveted steel beams were replaced with modern replicas. The work garnered PBOT a 2015 Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association for Historical Renovation and Preservation.

"It's an honor to be the caretakers of this historic bridge and we are committed to maintaining its integrity," said Portland Transportation Director Millicent Williams. "As recently as this summer, the bureau began the construction phase of a major preservation project to repaint the bridge and install new streetlights to increase nighttime visibility for all travelers."

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Properties listed in the National Register are:

• Recognized as significant to the nation, state, or community;

• Considered in the planning of federal or federally-assisted projects;

• Eligible for federal tax benefits;

• Qualify for historic preservation grants when funds are available;

• Eligible for leniency in meeting certain building code requirements;

• Subject to local laws pertaining to the conservation and protection of historic resources.

State law in Oregon requires local governments to offer a minimal level of protection for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places; the decisions about how to accomplish that goal reside with local governments, which also have the authority to create and regulate local historic districts and landmarks.

More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings are online at oregonheritage.org (under the heading "Designate").