Union St. RR Bridge Recognized for More than Just Trails

The Union Street Railroad Bridge has won the 2010 Engineering Excellence Grand Award for Transportation from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon.

The City's release notes that "Salem officials have made the bridge an integral part of the City's trail system, connecting businesses, parks and people on both sides of the river."

This is a deserved award, the bridge a terrific and creative example of reuse!

Hopefully the award's recognition of the structure as part of the transportation infrastructure will spur the City towards finishing the job! The "trail system" is connected, but the bridge is currently orphaned from the wider streetway connections. It doesn't yet function fully as a transportation corridor and to talk about business connections is perhaps a bit optimistic yet. Crossing Edgewater NW and Liberty NE remains difficult, and crossing Wallace NW and Commercial NE nearly impossible.

Congratulations to the City and we look forward to continuing progress.