Bridges of the Oregon CoastIn the 1920s and 1930s, Oregon's legendary bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough designed a first-rate collection of aesthetic bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway to enhance an already dramatic and beautiful landscape. The six largest of these, at Gold Beach, Newport, Waldport, Florence, Reedsport, and Coos Bay, eliminated the last ferries on the Oregon Coast Highway between the Columbia River and California. McCullough planned to build one bridge each year after completion of the Rogue River Bridge at Gold Beach in 1932, but the tightening grip of the Depression threatened his plans. In 1933, McCullough and his staff worked day and night to finish plans for the remaining five bridges, and in early 1934, the Public Works Administration funded simultaneous construction of them. The combined projects provided approximately 630 jobs, but at least six workers perished during construction. After the bridges were complete, Oregon coast tourism increased by a dramatic 72 percent in the first year. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 6 |
Yaquina Bay Bridge Newport | 27 |
Alsea Bay Bridge Waldport | 47 |
Siuslaw River Bridge Florence | 65 |
Umpqua River Bridge Reedsport | 79 |
Coos Bay Bridge North Bend | 95 |
127 | |
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154-foot tied arch 600-foot steel arch Alsea Bay Bridge arch rib forms bascule spans Bolon Island bracing bridge engineer bridge is pictured bridge piers bridge structure type cofferdam completed bridge concrete deck arch concrete deck girder concrete plant Coos Bay Bridge Courtesy ODOT cubic yards deck arch spans deck girder approaches deck girder south excavation floor framing forms and falsework formwork girder south approach handrail hoisting rig main pier south Mercer-Fraser Mercer-Fraser's navigation channel north arch north end Northwest Roads October Oregon Coast Highway Oregon State Archives Oregon State Highway pier protection fender pile driver portion reinforced concrete arch reinforced concrete deck roadway deck Rogue River Bridge sheet piling Siuslaw River Bridge south end steam donkey engine steel cantilever truss structural steel temporary support Teufel and Carlson's tower truck truss members Umpqua River Bridge view looking view shows Virginia Bridge visible Waldport workers Yaquina Bay Bridge yards of concrete
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Page 127 - Salem, Oregon. Department of Transportation. Technical Services. Bridge Section. Bridge Maintenance Files.