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Multnomah County has a bridge for sale.

The long, green, steel truss span of the old Sellwood Bridge, which is in the process of being replaced by a new bridge over the Willamette River, will become scrap metal if the county cannot find a qualified buyer or someone to take it away, said Mike Pullen, county spokesman.

The county is required by the state to make the truss portion of the bridge available because it is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, Pullen said. Temporary columns upon which the bridge currently sits would not be part of the deal, he said.

The 3,400-ton truss span became a part of national news in early 2013 when it was moved several dozen feet onto temporary columns to make room for construction of the new bridge. The green truss span is serving as a detour bridge until the new bridge opens in mid- to late-2015.

While any offer to take away the old truss span portion of the bridge will be considered, Pullen said those interested also will be required to pay for the cost to move it (including obtaining any necessary permits for the removal) as well as provide some specific information: how they plan to move the truss span, where they will move it to, and how it will be used. Interested parties also will need to ensure that lead paint on the bridge will not enter the environment.

“It’s fairly unlikely that anyone will want to do this, but we still have to go through the process,” Pullen said.

Multnomah County last tried to sell off the Sauvie Island Bridge two years ago, and the city of Portland showed interest. The city had planned to reuse the bridge as a pathway for cyclists and pedestrians over Interstate 405, but the costs to transport it and remove lead paint became prohibitive, Pullen said.

“It’s a difficult thing to move,” he said. “It doesn’t really pencil out for most people. ”

Interested parties will have until Sept. 12 to submit qualifying offers for the bridge. If the county receives multiple proposals, it will decide by November which one to accept. The bridge structure would need to be moved in late 2015 or early 2016, according to the county.