The Albany railroad bridge on the Willamette River, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Guess what’s back again. It’s our old friend the logjam in the Willamette River under the Albany railroad bridge.
It was less than a year ago that the pile of logs and debris that had built up for years in the same spot was cleared away.
Over several days in May 2025, a crew of workers from a Portland company used two boats and a winch on the bank to pull the pile apart so it could float downstream.
On a bike ride along the riverfront Dave Clark Trail on Wednesday, I could not help but notice that a new pile had been building up.
The Portland & Western Railroad, in charge of the bridge, hired the Portland crew that took care of the problem last year. One concern with large logjams is that they may change the water flow in such a way as to exacerbate scour at the base of piers.
Now I’m wondering whether the railroad will hire the same firm to dismantle this new buildup while it is still relatively small. Or will they wait a few years until the cleanup job is once again a big one? (hh)
Quite a logjam had built up under the bridge by Wednesday.
Also under the bridge, an old mattress was soaking in the stream close to the right bank.
So much for signs. This one says “Closed to Public Use.”
Nature is amazing.
I don’t think the floating mattress was the product of Mother Nature. However, the rest of the pictures are nice. Appreciate your adventures, Hasso.
22 Million & the sites you’ll see along the trail….oh my mattress..