Bixby Creek Arch Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bixby Creek Arch Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bixby Creek Bridge from its northern end |
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| Carries |  California State Route 1 |
| Crosses | Bixby Creek |
| Locale | Big Sur Monterey County |
| Design | reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge |
| Longest span | 320 feet (98 m) |
| Total length | 714 feet (218 m) |
| Width | 24 feet (7 m) |
| Height | 280 feet (85 m) |
| Clearance below | 260 feet (79 m) |
| AADT | 4,500[1] |
| Beginning date of construction | August 24, 1931 |
| Completion date | October 15, 1932 |
| Opening date | November 27, 1932 |
| Coordinates | 36°22′16.90″N 121°54′6.05″W / 36.3713611°N 121.9016806°WCoordinates: 36°22′16.90″N 121°54′6.05″W / 36.3713611°N 121.9016806°W |
Bixby Creek Bridge is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge in Big Sur, California. It is located 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco and 13 miles (21 km) south of Carmel in Monterey County along California Highway One.
Bixby Creek Bridge is important historically because it introduced automobile travel to Big Sur, connecting the remote coastal towns to each other.
[edit] History
It is 714 feet (218 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, over 280 feet (85 m) high and has a main span of 320 feet (98 m).[2] It is “one of the most photographed features on the West Coast”[3] because of its location along the scenic Central Coast of California, and has frequently been used in automobile commercials. The construction of the bridge began on August 24, 1931 and was completed on October 15, 1932[4] . Local legend has it that during construction, a Chinese laborer ws killed in a construction accident. Rather than delay construction with a police investigation, the body was thrown into the fresh concrete of the north pillar. This story is frequently told, but has not been corroborated. Before the bridge was opened on November 27, 1932, coastal travelers endured rough wagon roads over precipitous ridges and valleys. The 30-mile (48 km) journey from Monterey to the Big Sur River valley could take three days round trip. It has since become a regional landmark, and was used in the opening sequences of the television series Then Came Bronson and the film Play Misty for Me. The bridge figures prominently in posters and other publicity material of the Big Sur International Marathon.
The bridge was retrofitted in 1996 by bridge engineering company Buckland & Taylor as part of the Caltrans Phase II seismic retrofit program.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Bridgehunter - Historic Bridges of the U.S.: Bixby Creek Bridge
- ^ Structurae database: Bixby Creek Bridge (1933)
- ^ California Views: BCB Historical Collection
- ^ California Views: BCB from the Pat Hathaway collection
- ^ Buckland & Taylor Ltd. Projects: Bixby Creek Bridge retrofit
[edit] External links
- Essay discussing the building and social aspects of the bridge on Pelicannetwork.net
- Bixby Creek Bridge (1933) in the Structurae database
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bixby Creek Arch Bridge |
