The bridge lists to the right in a view south from Portland Avenue in Gladstone shortly before it was pulled down.

A hundred years of history ended Sunday with a splash and cheers of approval as workers pulled an old trolley bridge off its damaged footings and into the Clackamas River.

Hundreds of spectators joined police and firefighters in Gladstone to watch the operation.

, the railroad bridge between Gladstone and Oregon City had been tilting precariously over the river.

The bridge, a remnant of the long-defunct Portland Traction Co., formerly carried trolley traffic between the two cities and linked them with Portland. The streetcar ceased operation in the late 1950s and the track was used briefly for hauling freight. Union Pacific inherited the bridge in 1996 after it merged with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

In recent years, local planners and Metro had studied the idea of transforming the bridge into a

between the two cities. Those dreams also ended with Sunday's splash.

A youtube video (below) published Sunday shows the collapse, starting at about 50 seconds. There is also a

of the bridge.

Now workers plan to drag the structure onto vacant land west of the Tri-City Water Pollution Control Plant in Oregon City for demolition and salvaging.

In preparation for removal of the bridge, several blocks of downtown Gladstone were closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Workers said authorities were concerned that a misstep or sudden shift of the bridge could take out nearby power lines.

But the bridge appeared to come down with no complications.

Union Pacific workers and contractors have been at the site 24 hours a day since the bridge started tilting and began efforts to bring is down early Sunday. The bridge came down about 12:35 p.m., and police started reopening roads two hours later.

The bridge suddenly shifted Wednesday night amid high winds and rain-swollen currents. The 100-year-old bridge is about a mile upstream from the Willamette River.

Reporter Rick Bella contributed to the story.