Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People: Portland's Bridges and a New Icon

Portland, Oregon's Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, is the first major bridge in the U.S, carrying trains, busses, streetcars, bicycles, and pedestrians — but no private automobiles. When regional transportation agency TriMet began planning for the first bridge to be constructed across the Willamette River since 1973, the goal was to build a something symbolic, which would represent the progressive nature of the Twenty-First Century. Part of that progressiveness was engaging in a public process that involved neighborhood associations, small businesses, environmentalists, biologists, bicycling enthusiasts, designers, engineers, and the City Council. The result of this collaboration was an entirely unique bridge that increased the transportation capacity of the city while allowing Portlanders to experience their urban home in an entirely new way — car-free.

In this book, the award winning architect of Tilikum Crossing, Donald MacDonald, and co-author Ira Nadel, tell the story of Portland through its bridges. Written in a friendly voice, readers will learn how Portland came to be known as "The City of Bridges" and the home to this new icon in the city's landscape. MacDonald uses his own drawings to illustrate the history of Portland river crossings and to show the process of building a Twenty-First Century landmark. Anyone who has ever crossed this remarkable bridge will take away a deeper understanding of how our public structures reflect who we are as a community.

International award winning architect Donald MacDonald is the designer of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge. He also designed the east span of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, and was the first architect to work on the Golden Gate Bridge since its original construction. With Ira Nadel, he is the co-author of Golden Gate Bridge: History and Design of an Icon, Bay Bridge: History and Design of a New Icon, and Alcatraz: History and Design of a Landmark. He lives in San Francisco.

Ira Nadel, professor of English at University of British Columbia, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the recipient of numerous awards and prizes. He as lectured around the world and is the author of a number of books, including biographies of James Joyce, Leonard Cohen, Tom Stoppard, Ezra Pound, David Mamet, and Virginia Woolf. With Donald MacDonald, he co-authored Golden Gate Bridge: History and Design of a New Icon, Bay Bridge: History and Design of a New Icon, and Alcatraz: History and Design of a Landmark. He lives in Vancouver, BC.