- Carquinez Bridge
Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name = Carquinez Bridge
caption = The Carquinez Bridge in 2007: (from closest to furthest) a 2003 suspension bridge and the 1958 cantilever bridge
official_name = Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge (suspension bridge)
also_known_as = Zampa Bridge, Vallejo Bridge
carries = 8 lanes of I-80, pedestrians and bicycles.
crosses =Carquinez Strait
locale =Crockett, California andVallejo, California
maint = Caltrans
id = 28+0352 (2003 span), 23+0015L (1927 span), 23+0015R (1958 span)
design = 2Cantilever bridge s and 1Suspension bridge
mainspan =
length = 0.66 miles (3465 feet / 1056.1 m / 1.06 km)
width =
clearance =
below = 45 meters (148 ft)
traffic =
open =May 21 ,1927 (original span)
1958 (eastbound)November 11 ,2003 (westbound)
closed = 2006 (original span)
toll = $4.00 (eastbound) (FasTrak )
map_cue =
map_
map_text =
map_width =
coordinates = coord|38.0608|N|122.2257|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title|format=dmsThe Carquinez Bridge refers to two parallel bridges which cross the
Carquinez Strait linkingVallejo, California to the north, withCrockett, California to the south. The bridges are signed as part of Interstate 80. Toll is only charged to eastbound traffic.History and description
The original bridge, a steel
cantilever bridge , was designed by Robinson & Steinman and dedicated onMay 21 ,1927 . It cost $8 million to build and was the first major bridge in theSan Francisco Bay Area . ["The Barrier Broken" - Vallejo Evening Chronicle,May 21 ,1927 ]Upon completion of the 1927 bridge, the
Lincoln Highway was rerouted over the span. The Lincoln Highway was the first road across America. Its original alignment from Sacramento to San Francisco avoided the un-bridged waterways of theSan Francisco Bay and the Sacramento Delta by routing itself through theAltamont Pass and the central valley. With the bridge built, the Sacramento to San Francisco route was realigned in 1928 to pass along the eastern shores of theSan Francisco Bay andSan Pablo Bay , then in a northeastern direction.In 1958, a similar parallel bridge was built alongside the original one to accommodate the ever-increasing traffic. The original 1927 span served westbound traffic while the newer 1958 span served eastbound traffic.
.
By
September 4 ,2007 , all of the original 1927 steel structure had been demolished.Carquinez Bridge in the media
* The 1927 span of the Carquinez Bridge is featured on a Season 4 episode of "MythBusters" in the Miniature Earthquake Machine segment. This experiment, based upon the researches of
Nikola Tesla , employed a small tunable reciprocating mass driver to shake the bridge at its resonance frequency. While not structurally significant, the shaking was felt some distance from the driver.* An hour-length program, titled Break It Down: "Bridge", documenting the demolition of the 1927 bridge aired on
National Geographic Channel , on Thursday November 1st. 2007* On October 5th 2007 a man jumped off the new convert|156|ft|m|sing=on high bridge. The Coast Guard, Vallejo Police and Fire responded to find him on the breakwater. He survived the fall.
* Many San Francisco gift shops sell
International Orange t-shirts featuring a mono-chromatic picture of the new Carquinez suspension span ostensibly as theGolden Gate Bridge - whose use of image is subject to royalties.References
External links
* [http://www.alzampabridge.com/ AlZampaBridge.com] Official Web site of the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge.
* [http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/news_events/exhibits/bridge/ Bridging the Bay] History of the Carquinez Bridge, as well as other bridges.
* [http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/carquinez.htm Caltrans New Carquinez Bridge page]
* [http://www.ironmc.org/ Dick McCabe Jr's Site] - Site written by a union ironworker who worked on the bridge with a journal of the construction progress.
*
*
*
* [http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ET/popup/200711012100.html] Break it Down: "Bridge" on National Geographic Channel.
* [http://bata.mtc.ca.gov/bridges/carquinez.htm] Bay Area Toll Authority Bridge Facts on Carquinez Bridge.Crossings navbox
structure = Crossings
place =Carquinez Strait
bridge = Carquinez Bridge
bridge signs =
upstream =Benicia-Martinez Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream =Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
downstream signs =
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.