The bridge was built in 1910 by the Beaverton and Willsburg Railroad, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific Company, in response to the desires of Portland city planners for an eastside railway bypass to keep rail traffic out of downtown Portland.

Currently, the bridge is operated by the Portland and Western Railroad under a lease from Union Pacific.

On the west (Lake Oswego) side, there is a 50-foot (15 m) deck plate girder approach span that was built in 1900 and moved to this location in 1931.

[1] Completing the bridge on the east side in Oak Grove is a 668-foot (204 m) open-deck trestle.

Though the bridge is now used exclusively for active freight rail transport, some Portland-area commuters have urged that the bridge be modified to allow commuter rail or bicycle traffic.