Multnomah County bridges’ guardian angel Tony Lester is retiring

June 16, 2010

Who would’ve thought that a young seminary student would grow up to later become the guardian angel of Multnomah County’s bridges? After five years of secluded seminary living, Tony Lester, who was to become Bridge Maintenance Supervisor for Multnomah County, left to see the world.

Then, after nearly 35 years in transportation (including 30 years on bridges in the metro area), Tony made the difficult decision to retire on June 30.

Tony began his career with Oregon State Transportation, working in general maintenance for six years and spending over six years working mostly on the state’s Portland-area bridges. Tony moved to MultCo bridges because he thought that “working on movable bridges would be exciting.”

It’s apparent that Tony is passionate about his guardianship of Multnomah County bridges. Reflecting on his lengthy career, Tony said, “After all these years, what really strikes me is the number and variety of the wildlife living on, in and around the bridges.” From the ants on the Burnside Bridge and carp in the starlings (the upstream protective structure surrounding the Morrison Bridge piers), to the raccoon that resided on the Hawthorne Bridge and the baby owls on the Sellwood Bridge, Tony is still in awe of the power of nature.

Tony is most proud of the safety improvements made to Multnomah County’s bridges over the years during his watch. Upgrades on the Morrison Bridge allow tour groups to safely view the bridge operation from below during openings. Other improvements include the maintenance stairway on the trunnion level catwalk of the Morrison, and new or improved catwalks and railings on the Hawthorne, Broadway, Sauvie Island and Sellwood Bridges that allow workers safer access for maintenance.

Working on the bridges, Tony has kept his own guardian angel very busy over the years. Once Tony was working on a railing along the Terwilliger curves, and having completed his work on the inside, he stepped over the rail just seconds before a car crashed into the railing where he had been standing.

During his bridge career, Tony also recalls the day when he attempted to save a life—but it “just ended up costing me five bucks,” he said. He and Gerd Sperzel, a retired maintenance worker, were on the Burnside Bridge when they saw a man hanging on to the outside rail on the opposite side. Tony and Gerd quickly ran across the six lanes of traffic, and Gerd grabbed the man by the shoulders and hoisted him back over the rail to the sidewalk. Rather than thanking them for their efforts, the man became angry because he had merely been looking for a place to sleep. During the scuffle his prized baseball cap was lost to the river, so Tony gave him five dollars as consolation.

When he is retired, Tony will be singing while he finally finishes household remodeling projects and starts new ones. Although Tony may not sing quite like an angel, he is always ready with a song (with all the correct lyrics and verses). He grew up in a large family and his mother used to keep everyone occupied singing, especially during car trips.

Tony and his wife of 27 years, Christy, have two sons, Josh and Alex, and three young granddaughters. They are planning camping trips to see more of the country and spend time together.

After being on-call 24/7 for so many years through emergencies and inclement weather, however, Tony’s biggest plan for the future is “to learn not to cringe on nights and weekends every time the phone rings!”