Portland Transportation History Timeline
Please note that there is no photograph in paper form that belongs to the City of Portland. Most of the images were assembled from the Oregon Historical Society collection and went direct from the OHS image to the slide format. A private citizen is the owner of the slide images. Because rules have changed since the 1970s regarding photo credits and fees for use, it is not appropriate for him to sell or release them. Please contact the OHS for information at 503-222-1741 or orhist@ohs.org on how to acquire the images from them.
1853 - First ferry in Portland (Stark Street)
1857 – Construction begins on a plank road (Canyon Road) connecting Portland to the Tualatin Plains.
1868 - Oregon Central Railroad breaks ground
1872 – 1884 - Railroad construction peaks.
1872 – First horse drawn trolleys
1887 – First bridge across Willamette River (Morrison).
1888 - First Steel Bridge opens
1890 - First electric streetcar goes into service
1896 - Union Station opens
1909 - Portland-Seattle railroad completed
1910 - Hawthorne Bridge opens
1912 - New Steel Bridge opens, replacing old bridge
1912 – Peak of streetcar system.
1913 - Broadway Bridge opens
1913 - First traffic signal (5th and Washington)
1917 - Interstate Bridge (across the Columbia) opens
1925 - Sellwood Bridge opens
1926 - Burnside, Ross Island and Vista bridges open
1927 - Swan Island Airport begins service
1929 - Harbor wall construction begins
1931 - Burnside widening project
1931 - St. Johns Bridge opens
1933 - Barbur Boulevard opens
1941 - Portland Columbia Airport begins service
1942 – Harbor Drive construction begins (completed after WWII).
1950 – Last streetcar goes out of service.
1958 – Interurban rail service between Oregon City and Portland suspended.
1958 - New Morrison Bridge opens
1966 - Marquam Bridge opens, completing I-5 through Portland
1969 – Tri-Met formed
1972 – The Downtown Plan was adopted
1973 – Portland’s first bike plan is developed
1973 – Fremont Bridge (I-405) opens, completing downtown freeway loop.
1974 – Harbor Drive removed to make way for Waterfront Park
1975 – The Downtown Parking and Circulation Policy was adopted
1976 – Mt. Hood Freeway withdrawn from Interstate System, funds diverted to Banfield LRT and 140 other highway and transit projects.
1977 – The downtown transit mall opened
1986 – The Eastside light rail opened
1988 – The Central City Plan was adopted
1989 –Tri-Met was named "America’s Best Large Transit Agency" by American Public Transit Association
1995 – The Central City Transportation Management Plan was adopted
1995 – Portland selected as the most bicycle friendly city in the U.S. by Bicycling Magazine
1996 – The Bicycle Master Plan was adopted & The Transportation Management Association was formed
1998 – The Westside light rail opened
2001 – Portland Streetcar and Airport MAX opened