Cedar Crossing Bridge - The Only Covered Bridge in Multnomah County

The Cedar Crossing Bridge carries SE Deardorff Road over Johnson Creek in southeast Portland, about 11 miles from downtown and a short drive from I‑205 and SE Foster Road. This 60-foot (18 m) bridge is often called a covered bridge, but it’s actually a deck girder bridge with a roof and wooden siding.

There’s no timber truss, so the Oregon Department of Transportation does not list it as a “true” covered bridge. Still, when you drive or walk through, it feels very Oregon: knotty pine interior, five large windows on each side, and that cozy, sheltered tunnel over a small creek.

You can enjoy a walk along Johnson Creek, a bike ride through nearby streets, or a coffee or snack on SE Foster Road. It’s an easy stop on a Portland day trip and gives a modern, nostalgic take on Oregon’s covered bridges.

Cedar Crossing Bridge History

If you love Oregon’s covered bridges, this spot tells a shorter, modern story with a nostalgic twist. A bridge has stood at this Johnson Creek crossing for many years, serving southeast Portland as the city grew around it.

Before the current bridge, there was a narrow wooden truss bridge here. Over time, traffic, age, and weather wore it down. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, it had become too deteriorated and too tight for modern vehicles, so Multnomah County decided to replace it.

This is where Don Clark, the former Multnomah County Executive, stepped in. He didn’t want a plain concrete or steel span. Instead, he lobbied for a covered bridge that would honor Oregon’s long covered‑bridge heritage. He pictured a bridge over a leafy stream, where the foliage turns bright yellow and orange in fall and children can look out the side windows to see the waters of Johnson Creek below. Johnson Creek at SE Deardorff Road matched that vision very well.

Work to remove the old wooden truss bridge started in November 1981. Crews tore down the old bridge and adjusted the stone supports to make room for a wider, safer roadway. In about two months, they installed the steel girders, wood deck, siding, knotty pine interior, and roof.

The bridge itself cost about $93,450, and works on the road and supports added $74,800, bringing the total to roughly $168,250. For a 60-foot community bridge in 1982, this was a real investment, showing the county cared about both function and style.

The bridge was officially opened on January 16, 1982, on a cold, wet Portland winter day. After speeches and unveiling a plaque, the county held a parade of vintage cars, horse-drawn buggies, and wagons. It felt like a short time tunnel, with old and new ways of travel passing through the fresh covered span. During the ceremony, Don Clark joked, “If you ever wonder why they put covers on bridges, this weather will tell you”—and anyone who’s stood under an Oregon downpour knows exactly what he meant.

Architectural Bridge Design: Deck girder bridge with covered superstructure (not a true timber‑truss covered bridge)
Bridge access: Open to vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles; roadway about 24 ft (7.3 m) wide with a separate 5 ft (1.5 m) walkway for walkers and cyclists
Stream: Johnson Creek
Bridge Length: 60 ft (18 m)
Built: 1982 (current span; replaces earlier wooden truss bridge)

Elevation: 350 ft (110 m)

Cedar Crossing Bridge is located: