Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon offers
some of the most scenic views in the city. With over 36 acres of green space
along the Willamette River, downtown just wouldn't
be the same without it. But this park has a far more
unique history than most people realize. This mile-long strip of land was once
the site of the city's first freeway. Portland made history in the 1970s
when it demolished the freeway and replaced it with this sprawling park. The road is all but forgotten today, but it played a critical role
in the city's development for decades. So how did they manage to remove it? What exactly was Harbor Drive? In the early 1930s, Portland's downtown
district was bordered by Front Avenue, which ran along the west
bank of the Willamette River. The road dated back to Portland's
founding in the 1850s, and now 80 years later,
it was busier than ever. The growing population
and the rise of the automobile had overcrowded the city's aging streets. Downtown was notorious
for constantly being in gridlock To help with this issue, the city approved
a major public works project that would widen Front Avenue
and revitalize the surrounding area. By 1935, engineers proposed a
second road parallel to Front Avenue that would run right
along the edge of the river. This six-lane, mile-long road
would have far fewer intersections, serving as a high-speed bypass. Front Avenue itself would be
widened to six lanes as well, with many of its intersections
being upgraded. By July of 1941, demolition
was underway for the project. A total of 11 blocks and 79
historic buildings were leveled. The Oregonian described it as "warlike ruins"
and said it looked like a bomb raid. But among the rubble, one building
was left standing, and it was a big one. In December of 1933, the
Portland Public Market Building was introduced as the new
home for local farmers markets. The massive building was
two and a half blocks long. It boasted 100 shops and 300 stalls, with a whopping two miles
worth of sales counter space. All told, the Market Building was not
only the biggest structure in the city, but also the largest public
market in the United States. Unfortunately, hundreds of vendors
refused to move to the building, and many customers preferred to shop
at more convenient smaller markets. As a result, the building never
quite lived up to its potential. As work along the waterfront
continued into winter, it became clear that the new
bypass road needed a name. Some construction contracts
had been calling it Harbor Drive, so the city adopted this as the
official name of the new road. Just two weeks later,
on December 7, 1941, Japanese pilots unleashed a
surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Practically overnight, the United States
had entered World War II. The US war effort gave new importance
to the construction of Harbor Drive. Thousands of workers
were coming to Portland to work on the Kaiser shipyards
and other wartime industries. This sudden nflux of the population
congested the city streets more than ever. Unfortunately, the war had cut off all
funding and materials to civilian projects. Harbor Drive only had enough funding
for a portion of its construction. Once the money ran out,
the city wouldn't be able to continue until after the war was over. On November 20, 1942, the first section
of Harbor Drive officially opened. It split off from Front Avenue at Columbia
Street, passing under the Hawthorne Bridge, alongside the Market Building,
and under the Morrisson Bridge. From here, it continued further
north until ending at Vine Street. Between Harbor Drive and Front Avenue
was a median about 100 feet wide that would eventually
be landscaped with grass. But in the meantime, it
would be used for parking. Along the edge of Harbor
Drive was a walkway that allowed pedestrians to enjoy
the riverfront views for the first time. Although the project wasn't fully finished, Portlanders were thrilled
with the new developments. As the war drew on, Portland's
leaders were growing worried about what would happen
after the end of the war. Thousands of wartime workers
would suddenly be unemployed, and the city's aging infrastructure would need to
be overhauled to handle the growing population. They soon agreed to bring in
some outside help. To guide the city's vision for the future,
Portland's leaders hired Robert Moses, the park commissioner of New York City,
to come make his recommendations. Moses brought his crew of consultants
to Portland in the summer of 1943, and over the next two months,
they studied the city inside and out During his visit, Robert Moses
lived up to his reputation of being "short on public relations and long
on rubbing people the wrong way." City Commissioner William Bowes said, "He wouldn't talk to anyone, and no one could
reach him to find out what he was doing." "He didn't ask anybody
for instructions or advice." "He simply went about it in his own way." Bowes was acting as interim
mayor at the time, and he tried to get an update from Moses
on how the study was coming along. In response, Moses told his secretary, "When I went to see the mayor,
I'll send for him." In November, Moses and his team presented their findings in a report
called "Portland Improvement." This gave recommendations for how to modernize
the city's infrastructure
in the coming years. Among other things, Moses had a
few comments about Harbor Drive. He agreed with the city's future plans
to beautify the road as much as possible. He also suggested
widening the sidewalks and planting lots of grass, trees and flowers
along the roadway. In the grand scheme of his plans, though, Harbor Drive wasn't
much more than a footnote. He popularized the idea of building much larger
highways around both sides of the Willamette River. These ideas were ambitious, but they
portrayed an exciting future for the city. Two years later, in September of 1945,
World War II came to a close. The U.S. had been involved in the war
for about three and a half years. And now Portland
had some catching up to do. Work soon resumed on Harbor Drive
and Front Avenue in the summer of 1946. On the north end, the roads would receive
a new connection with the Steel Bridge. On the south end, Harbor Drive
would be extended, merging with Front Avenue
near Arthur Street. Front Avenue would also receive a new
interchange with Barbur Boulevard. This was important, because
Barbur carried US Route 99, which was expected to bring a new
wave of traffic in the coming years. Route 99, which ran the entire
length of the west coast, was one of the primary roads that
drivers would take through Oregon. For drivers coming to
Portland from the south, 99 was split between two routes. 99 West came up through Tigard
and onto Barbur Boulevard. 99 East followed the east side
of the river to Oregon City, and eventually up to Southeast Portland. However, plans were underway to build
a shortcut between these two routes, called the Wilsonville Cutoff. Previously, the only way to cross the
river here was by the Boones Ferry, which had been operating for 100 years. The ferry was slow, and many drivers
chose to just go around the long way. But the crux of the project was a new highway
bridge being built across the Willamette River. When completed, the route into Portland would
become three and a half miles shorter. This is why finishing Front Avenue
and Harbor Drive was so important. Within a few years, practically
all northbound traffic into the city would be funneled
straight onto Harbor Drive. But Harbor Drive wasn't expected to
solve all of the traffic issues on its own. The streets of downtown
were crowded with streetcars, commercial trucks and parked vehicles. City Engineer Fred Fowler proposed
converting downtown to one-way streets, as this would alleviate
many of these issues. The city studied this option
over the next few years, and by 1950, they were ready
to make the conversion. While many business owners
celebrated the change, hundreds of others petitioned against it. In his report to the city council,
Fred Fowler stated: "There are too many things in this town
that are being put off which need doing." "Let's back up our judgment and try this." "If it doesn't work, then we'll try something else." Fortunately, the transition went without a hitch, and the benefits to downtown's traffic
flow were immediately noticeable. Nearby construction was underway for
the north-end completion of Harbor Drive. A new, complex interchange was
being built at the Steel Bridge, providing connections to Harbor Drive,
Front Avenue, Everett Street and Glisan Street. The ramps were all designed
to allow traffic to flow without stopping. In September of 1950, the steel bridge
interchange was opened to traffic. Harbor Drive had finally been built
as originally intended before the war. By the summer of 1951, Portlanders had been enjoying the convenience
of the newly completed Harbor Drive. But despite it being designed
as a high-speed bypass, it was getting congested
with traffic on a regular basis. One problem was that
the road had three traffic lights at Clay, Columbia and Jefferson Streets. Fred Fowler suggested that Harbor Drive
should eventually be made a "true freeway" freeway by eliminating these signals. To allow for safe left turns into downtown, engineers planned to replace these
intersections with two flyover ramps. The Clay Street ramp would
overpass the southbound lanes, ending at the intersection
of Front and Clay. For Columbia and Jefferson, a spiral ramp
would cut over the river and overpass the
entirety of Harbor Drive. Just up the road, the Market Building
had been permanently closed after years of declining
popularity and legal issues. After sitting abandoned
for over three years, it was purchased by the Oregon Journal. They completely remodeled it
with a newspaper production facility, editorial offices and a newsroom. However, the building was another
major source of traffic on Harbor Drive. Because it was so close
to the river's edge, It forced the road to squeeze down
to four lanes to fit alongside it. To solve this. engineers proposed converting
this section to a double-decker viaduct, with three northbound lanes running on top,
and three southbound lanes running below. This idea would later be abandoned. But 200 miles north, Seattle was building
a waterfront viaduct of its own, and it was much grander in scope. The history of the Alaskan Way Viaduct bears
a striking resemblance to Harbor Drive. Seattle was having traffic problems in
its downtown area, and by the 1930s, plans were underway to build a freeway
around the edge of downtown. The result would be a massive double-decker
freeway along the city's waterfront. Construction began in 1950, right around the
same time that Harbor Drive was completed. Fred Fowler was inspired by
Seattle's massive project. He said: "Alaskan Way is very similar to a project
which we plan for Front Avenue..." "a future elevated expressway to the north." He was referring to an idea that was
originally proposed during the war years. This called for Harbor Drive to be
extended northward as an elevated freeway. It would run above the rail
yards and industrial areas, leading up to a massive new river
crossing called the Fremont Bridge. There were no immediate
plans to move forward with these projects. But Fowler felt that
if the Alaskan Way Viaduct could be built, surely the future phase of Harbor Drive
could become a reality, too. Meanwhile, Oregon's freeway network
was slowly taking shape. The Wilsonville Cutoff had
expanded into a longer route that would soon run
clear from Salem to Portland. Barbur Boulevard was now seen
as inadequate to handle the traffic, so a new route would be constructed to
bring the freeway directly into downtown. When completed, it would transition
right into Harbor Drive. On the city's east side, engineers had their eyes
on a windy ravine called Sullivan's Gulch. This soon became the site of another
new route, called the Banfield Freeway, which opened in the fall of 1955. This modern road was designed with
limited access points and no traffic lights. For this reason, the Banfield was
considered Oregon's first true freeway, even though Harbor Drive had predated it
by more than a decade. But the best news was still to come. in June of 1956, President Eisenhower signed a new bill into law
called the Federal Aid Highway Act. This would allow a new network of interstate
freeways to be built across the country, with the federal government
paying 90% of the cost. This historic legislation
was a game changer, and it meant that Oregon could take a much larger
highway projects in the coming years. In 1957, the new ramps for
Harbor Drive were completed. The Clay Street ramp opened in April, and the overpass for Columbia and Jefferson
opened a few months later in August. With these projects completed, the last remaining
traffic lights were removed from the route. Harbor Drive could now
be called a true freeway. With federal funding now available,
detailed plans were being laid out for the massive new freeway loop around
both sides of the Willamette River near the south end of Harbor Drive would be a
new river crossing called the Marquam Bridge. From here, two new freeways
would be constructed. Crossing the river would
be the Eastbank Freeway, running along the eastern waterfront. Around the west side would be the Stadium
Freeway, which would wrap around downtown and eventually cross the long
proposed Fremont Bridge. But with these ambitious projects
coming in the near future, the writing was on the wall
for Harbor Drive. Once the new loop was built around
it, would it still be needed? Engineers had assumed that Harbor Drive would
be a part of the new interstate system as well. But they soon discovered
that it did not meet federal standards. The road was still essential to the city's
infrastructure, but expanding upon it any further would be difficult
without federal support. Meanwhile, even though the road
had no more traffic lights, there were still a few turn lanes where
drivers could pull off into downtown. The most notorious of these was
the unprotected left turn onto Oak Street. Northbound drivers had to cross a total of nine
lanes of traffic coming from both directions. Unsurprisingly, this caused
numerous collisions and fatal accidents. To solve this issue, the city announced it
would build another overpass at this spot, touching down at the intersection
of Ash Street and 1st Avenue. While this would be
much safer for drivers. It would also destroy historic buildings
in the Skidmore Fountain area. The ramp would also block the last
unobstructed view of the waterfront. Before long, the project was met
with a wave of protest by local groups. This was the first time in 20 years that Harbor
Drive had seen any significant pushback. But times were changing. As interstate mega-projects
were popping up around the city, Portlanders were beginning to realize
how much destruction they caused. City Commissioner William Bowes had
no interest in preserving the waterfront. He argued that, "The thousands
of motorists using Harbor Drive are too busy with traffic to watch
the sailboats go by on the river." Local architect John Storrs felt that the city
was focusing too heavily on automobiles. He said, "The riverfront is rapidly disappearing." "Frankly, I'm surprised that one of our
technicians hasn't come up with a plan to freeze the Willamette River
so we can park cars on it." By August of 1961, it was clear that the ramp
was far too controversial to move forward, and it was shelved indefinitely. Just a few months later in November, the final segment of the south-end
freeway was completed. Portland, Salem and Eugene were now linked by a continuous highway
running for 110 miles. The route was Oregon's
first segment of Interstate 5. Not only was it a local pride,
but it was the nation's longest continuous piece
of the interstate system at the time. Just as planned, I-5 was built to
lead directly into Harbor Drive. Traveling to and from downtown
was now a seamless experience. Even if Harbor Drive
wasn't interstate material, it was still one of Oregon's busiest
and most esteemed roadways. A couple of months later
in early 1962, the city was finalizing its plans for the
Stadium Freeway on the west side. But the route was seeing
immense pushback from locals. Many thought the
project was unnecessary, since Harbor Drive would already create a
smaller loop with the next developments of I-5. But the Stadium Freeway had already
secured millions of federal dollars, including funds to build
the Fremont Bridge. Supporters didn't want to turn down
what was essentially free money. Local real estate investor
Harold Schnitzer was appalled by this. He said, "To say that we must have a $70 million
freeway system cutting our city in half, so that we can also get a
$5 million Fremont Bridge, is like buying crackerjacks
to get the toy in the bottom." He and many others supported the old idea of having
Harbor Drive run up to the Fremont Bridge instead. Unlike the Stadium Freeway, this option would be
far less destructive and much cheaper to build. But many people feared that
the elevated freeway would be an eyesore
along the city's waterfront. A similar project
had recently become a cautionary tale, and Portlanders weren't keen
on repeating that mistake. 500 miles to the south, San Francisco had seen its own explosion
of freeway projects after World War II. Among these was a proposed route
that would run along the waterfront between the Golden Gate Bridge
and the Bay Bridge. The easternmost section of this project
was called the Embarcadero Freeway. Construction began in 1953, but the project
was highly controversial from the start. The massive concrete structure blocked
scenic views of the San Francisco Bay, as well as the historic
World Trade Ferry Building. The first segment of the
Embarcadero Freeway opened in 1959, after protests effectively halted
any further progress. Some of the area's most beautiful views were
now blocked by the concrete monstrosity. Back in Portland, opponents
of the Harbor Drive extension feared that it would become
another Embarcadero freeway. In contrast, the Stadium Freeway
was considered less of an eyesore, since it would be depressed below ground. The city council finally approved the
Stadium Freeway to move forward, killing off any last hopes
to extend Harbor Drive. Amidst the rise of concrete structures
and the fumes of automobiles, engineers were paying little attention
to their impact on the environment. But soon, a voice would be lent
to Oregon's environmental issues, and it would be a voice
that it would not soon forget. On November 21, 1962, KGW aired a documentary
called "Pollution in Paradise." The film was produced
and they're rated by newscaster Tom who had gained local popularity for his
commanding voice and journalistic integrity. McCall had spent the last year investigating
Oregon's polluted air and waterways, culminating in an hour-long exposé that
revealed just how bad the situation was. "Improper practices in irrigating
and farmland fertilizing, "and in logging, road building and mining, "add so much more to the warming up
and to the soiling of Oregon's rivers. "Test nettings in the Willamette
show that only carp "and other warm-water trash
fish are able to survive. "In the Portland area, the land layout
brings 50 to 60 days every year "of that smog-encouraging peculiarity
of the atmosphere called inversion. "This is more frequent than at any other place
on the west coast outside of Los Angeles." The film was ahead of its time,
calling attention to the shocking lack of accountability that was choking
Oregon's natural resources. The award-winning documentary helped elevate
Tom McCall's popularity in the coming years. While Oregonians were beginning to understand
the environmental challenges around them, construction continued
at a feverish pace. Segments of the new interstates opened
incrementally over the next few years. When the Marquam Bridge
finally opened in October of 1966, it marked the final section of Interstate 5
to be completed in Oregon. 308 miles of freeway
had been built, making Oregon the first west coast
state to complete its entirety of I-5. A few weeks later, Oregon's 1966
election for governor took place. The winner was a familiar face
and a familiar voice: Tom McCall. Over the last few years,
he had transitioned his focus from journalism to politics,
and his popularity helped him secure the role
as Oregon's 30th governor. In the coming years, he
would live up to his promise of bringing positive environmental
change to the state he loved. Tom McCall wasted no time in his
efforts to preserve Oregon's beauty. That next spring, he campaigned
heavily for the Oregon Beach Bill, a piece of legislation that would
make the entire Oregon coast open to the public, permanently. Overwhelming public support
helped the bill pass in June of 1967. "This bill guarantees that Oregon's coastline
will remain secure for generations to come." "And in so doing, it will able Oregon to meet its
burgeoning needs for recreation far into the future." And the Beach Bill was just the beginning. In the following year, he would shift his focus
toward beautifying Portland's waterfront. The first step was to get rid
of the old Journal Building. By now, the Oregon Journal
had vacated the building, leaving it abandoned for the
second time in its history. The city purchased the building back
from the Journal in 1968, with plans to demolish it
in the near future. Freeing up the space
would allow the waterfront to be redeveloped into an
accessible and scenic park. In February of 1969, Tom McCall formed a task
force of nine people to head up the new project. The chief of the task force
was Glenn Jackson, one of the most influential highway
engineers in the state's history. The options proposed by the task force
evolved several times, but they can be simplified as follows: One option would have Harbor Drive
pushed over as close as possible to Front Avenue, which called
for as many as 14 total lanes of traffic. This would only leave a strip of land
about 80 feet wide to build the park. Another option would tear up Front Avenue
entirely and rebuild Harbor Drive in its place. The road would be depressed
14 feet below ground, with several pedestrian bridges
crossing over it to access the new park. A third option would push Harbor Drive completely
underground in a 3,000-foot-long tunnel. The new park would be developed on top of it,
allowing it to be over 230 feet wide. The fourth option was the simplest,
and perhaps the most radical. Harbor Drive could just be removed entirely. Highway engineers, including Glenn Jackson himself,
said the idea was "out of the question," and that the abandonment of
Harbor Drive would be "impossible." It was true that no city had ever intentionally
removed one of its freeways before. But despite the resistance, McCall pushed
the task force to consider the option. "Some highway engineers have a
mentality, engineeringly speaking, "that would run an eight-lane
freeway through the Taj Mahal. "That is our problem." Meanwhile, the general public
wanted to have a decisive say in how the waterfront
would be developed. In response, McCall instructed the task force
to form a new citizens advisory committee. This group of 18 people would help ensure the
public's opinions would be taken into account. The two groups spent the next several months
studying the options and collecting feedback. And at last they came to an agreement. Harbor Drive would be eliminated once the Fremont Bridge was completed
and the interstate loop was finished. A defeated Glenn Jackson said, "We finally decided on elimination because it would
be impossible to keep it and satisfy everyone." Other members of the task force,
including Representative John Mosser, had seen promise in the idea early on, and
helped advocate for Harbor Drive's removal. "But really, the thing was I kept saying,
Where are these cars going?" "Why do we have to have 14 lanes on the
waterfront? Where are the cars going?" "They were all trying to get from the west side
to the east side, just looking for another bridge." "And so the conclusion was that when
the Fremont Bridge was finished, "that would route enough of these cars around
downtown Portland and you didn't have to have it." Portlanders praised the plan, and were thrilled
about the radical new changes soon to come. It would still be over three years
before the Fremont Bridge was completed, but the city was finally taking its
first steps into a new era. November 11, 1973, was
designated as a people's day, where pedestrians were invited to explore
the Fremont Bridge before it opened. Thousands braved the rainy and windy weather
for a unique chance to walk across the new bridge. Some rushed to claim the
title as the first to cross it on skates, tricycles and even unicycles. A few days later on November 15, the
Fremont Bridge was officially opened. The Oregonian described the event, accurately,
as "the death knell of Harbor Drive." Indeed, after serving the city for 31 years, Harbor Drive was permanently
closed on May 24, 1974. Highway engineers were convinced that the closure
would cause a traffic armageddon around the city. But this never materialized. The new freeway loop absorbed
most of the traffic without a problem. And some downtown commuters
switched to public transit instead. Portland's brave experiment had paid off. Harbor Drive was demolished
later that fall. The first phase of redevelopment
would be to beautify Front Avenue by making
it a tree-lined boulevard. Landscaping for the park itself
would begin in the summer of 1977. Plans included a new plaza to house
the Portland Saturday Market, and an extension of the Skidmore Fountain
arcade out to the harbor wall. some other concepts for the park
never became a reality. For example, early plans called for a shallow
lagoon on the former site of the Journal Building. But people wanted as much green space as
possible, so the idea was eventually dropped. Finally, on July 23, 1978, the 36-and-a-half-acre
Waterfront Park was dedicated. For the first time in Portland's history, the
waterfront was officially given back to its people. Tom McCall had reached the end of his term
as governor during the park's development, but his influence on the
project was undeniable. After leaving office in 1975,
McCall returned to TV journalism. Even in the final months of his life,
after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he continued fighting relentlessly
for environmental causes. He passed away in January of 1983. The following year, the park was renamed
to Tom McCall Waterfront Park, in honor of the man who sought to preserve
Oregon's beauty for generations to come. With Harbor Drive now
a faint echo of the city's past, there aren't many remnants of it today. But as you take a tour
along the waterfront, there are a few details worth mentioning. The interchange with the Steel Bridge was
completely overhauled with Harbor Drive's removal. The only remaining piece
of the original version is the ramp from Everett Street
that leads onto the bridge. This actually has a well-hidden
ramp stub that used to connect to Front Avenue as well. During reconstruction, this ramp was
chopped off and left abandoned. Near Oak and Pine Streets is the mast
of the historic Battleship Oregon. This memorial was originally at the
intersection of Clay Street and Harbor Drive. But when the two new overpass
ramps were built in this spot, the memorial was moved to the median
between Harbor Drive and Front Avenue. It still stands in the same location today. Near Salmon Street is the historic
Visitors Information Center. This opened in 1948 right
next to the Market Building, And for several years it served as a visitor center
between Harbor Drive and Front Avenue. Today it serves as the headquarters
of the Portland Rose Festival. On the Hawthorne Bridge, you can take a
walkway
that leads you down into the park. This was originally the offramp that spiraled
down to both Front Avenue and Harbor Drive. Only a portion of this ramp remains today, partially used as a walkway
and partially abandoned. The southernmost portion of Harbor Drive
technically still exists. As you're traveling north
on I-5 into the city, the leftmost exit will take you to
the city center and south waterfront. This is where I-5 originally ended
and turned into Harbor Drive. The road is still labeled as Harbor Drive
for about a third of a mile before it ends at
Clay and Market streets. Front Avenue was renamed to
Naito Parkway in the mid-1990s. When the park was
first being developed, The six-lane road was downgraded
to make the area safer for pedestrians. Improvements are still ongoing today,
with part of the road being converted into bike lanes and new and improved
sidewalks and crosswalks being built. One more remnant of Harbor Drive can actually
be found on the opposite side of the river. This flyover ramp from I-5 to I-84 used to
have a connection from the Steel Bridge, allowing traffic to flow from Harbor Drive. The connector was eventually
removed in the late 1980s, but there's still a ramp stub
where this connection once stood. Over the last few decades,
other cities around the world have taken Portland's lead and
removed freeways of their own. In 1991, San Francisco demolished
the Embarcadero Freeway. The waterfront area was redeveloped
as a beautiful, palm-lined boulevard. In 2019. Seattle demolished
the Alaskan Way Viaduct. In this case, it was replaced with a highway
tunnel that now runs beneath downtown. However, cases like
these are still fairly uncommon. Most cities are still struggling with the
unpleasant reality of their urban freeways. But more and more
local groups are proposing to remove their freeways and
reclaim their cities' natural beauty. Many people dismiss these
kinds of ideas as impossible. But if Harbor Drive
can teach us anything, it's that impossible things
have been done before.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. I’m newish to PDX so I do quite enjoying learning about our city
This was really well done. I got sucked in and watched the entire video. I always enjoy learning more about Portland’s history and this one was worth the time. Very nice videography to boot!
Seeing how much good came from the ceding of harbor drive into a park: Imagine how great it would be if the talks of capping/burying all of I405 through downtown were to come to fruition.
It would add hundreds of usable acres to downtown’s footprint, with a park, or at least a substantially “greened up and walkable” type of mixed use being the most personally appealing fantasy to me.
I hope that someday our city’s leaders will decide that the best thing they can do for Portland is to make more of it, and that whoever is Governor at the time will have the same vision that McCall did, meaning that the folks in Salem step up to reaffirm that the economic heart of Oregon still beats in Portland (even if the soul is found in the wilds elsewhere).
TL;DR: I’m old enough to have driven Harbor Drive, which means I’m old enough to have outlived believing it wasn’t necessarily worth the money to build a park in a much needed transit corridor, and have learned to value big investments in adding things that are a public benefit.
edit: there’s a “generational” investment in infrastructure being debated in DC, while here at home our DA won’t prosecute our troubles appropriately, leaving the city council more focused on sweeping broken glass and homeless camps under a rug than they are on bringing the deficit of federal attention needed for burying a freeway into focus.
a friendly reminder to vote
Imagine what Oregon would look like without Tom McCall.
This was so well done. Thanks for posting it!
I moved out to the PNW because I came to my first pride at the waterfront and was shocked at how beautiful & green even the cities are here. Thanks for sharing this neat history!
Wow. Thanks for this gem.
Portland has a spirit unmatched by any of the large cities I’ve lived in. It’s hard to explain to people living elsewhere. I tell them Portlanders just care more for their city than most places. The people living elsewhere inevitably take offense. So to be kind, I stop trying to explain it...but hold a warm knowing smile inside.
The physical beauty of Oregon inspires love. So people all care more. We are so fortunate to live in this place.
Now if only we could the same thing to the inner east side.
/u/Highlevel365 mentioned that Harbor Drive was missing from the conversation when Remnants of Portland's Unbuilt Freeways was posted.