Duniway. Wy’east. Cascadia. Tillicum.

Sometime in the spring, about the same time the east and west sections of the main span meet,

will forever attach one of those names to Portland’s newest Willamette River bridge.

After sifting through nearly 9,500 public submissions during the past two months, TriMet on Wednesday announced the four finalists in its bridge-naming campaign.

Portland historian

, head of the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail bridge’s name-selection committee, told a crowd gathered at the

that the names reflect “community connections, both through transit and shared history.”

The stories behind the finalists :

Abigail Scott Duniway Bridge:

Cascadia Crossing:

Tillicum Crossing:

Wy'east Bridge:

Not everyone will be pleased with the finalists.

For instance, Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick was partial to naming the transit bridge after

, a character created by Portland native Matt Groening. Others were pushing for Bill Porter bridge,

.

On Wednesday, TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane said the 1,720-foot transit bridge is the cornerstone of the $1.5 billion MAX Orange Line from Portland to Milwaukie. Naming it, he said, “is the kind of decision that’s a big decision in this community.”

&amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7718250/"&amp;gt;What TriMet bridge name do you like?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

No private vehicles will be allowed on the cable-stayed structure, the first bridge built over the Willamette in Portland in more than 40 years. Only trains, buses, streetcars, bicycles and pedestrians will be allowed to use it on a daily basis.

In fact, one public nomination for Tillicum Crossing pointed out that “this is a people’s bridge (not a car bridge).”

After going through a public-participation process, the 10-member committee will select the bridge’s name in the spring. “We want some breathing time to see how (the names) roll off our tongues,” Orloff said.

TriMet said this is the first time that the public has been asked to help name one of Portland’s Willamette River bridges. Orloff said all of the finalists chosen by the committee were also suggested by members of the public.

The deadline for public input on the finalists, including a “bridge talk” at 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Oregon Historical Society, is March 1. The public can submit comments at

.

-- Joseph Rose