Designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the first bridge opened on December 15, 1925, at a final cost of $541,000[3] (equivalent to $6.9 million in 2011).

[5] In April 2005, Bechtel gave Multnomah County an unsolicited plan to replace the bridge through a public-private partnership.

[10] In November 2008, however, the Sellwood Bridge team issued a draft Environmental Impact Statement containing details on five different finalist designs and alignments.

[5] In February 2009, the Policy Advisory Group (PAG), based on recommendations provided by a Community Task Force and the public, selected a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA).

The LPA included replacement of the existing bridge with a new bridge, alignment approximately 15 feet south of Tacoma Street, allowing continuous traffic flow at the crossing during construction, a pedestrian-actuated signal at Tacoma Street and SE 6th Avenue, and a signal at the west end interchange.

[11] A final Environmental Impact Statement was published in spring 2010, and it was approved by the Federal Highway Administration in July 2010.

Plans to include streetcar tracks were briefly considered in late 2010, but dropped in January 2011 to reduce costs.

[19] On January 19, 2013, the 6.8-million pound bridge was moved onto temporary steel supports by contractor Omega Morgan.

Crews began demolishing the original railings and bridge deck once the old span closed, with the process completed in May 2016.

The deck arch design’s longest span is 465 feet (142 m) long and rests on a total of two piers in the water.

[23] The final design reduced the bridge footprint significantly from early concepts, lowering project costs and minimizing environmental disturbances.