The deck is made of concrete, which contributes to its being one of the heaviest bascule bridges in the United States.

[2]: 47 The bridge provides shelter for the initially unauthorized Burnside Skatepark under the east end.

[6] On weekends, the Portland Saturday Market was held mostly under the bridge's west end for many years.

[8] The replacement was part of a $4.5 million bond that also included the construction of the Ross Island and Sellwood bridges.

Having moved the bridge location to profit by selling their land, three Multnomah County commissioners were recalled as a result of the scandal, and a new engineering company assumed control of the project.

The Ku Klux Klan had backed the commissioners and enabled their system of kickbacks and grafts; the ensuing "rotten bridge scandal" removed much of their clout even by 1924.

The initial principal engineer for the bridge construction was the firm of Hedrick & Kremers.

[2] Streetcars crossed the Burnside Bridge until 1950,[11] and electric trolleybuses serving the Sandy Blvd.