The Bullards Bridge (or simply Bullards Bridge) is a

vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...

that spans the Coquille River near where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean, just north of Bandon,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. One of only two vertical-lift bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway (

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

), it was completed in 1954."Coast Road Link Ready" (September 19, 1954). ''

The Sunday Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' (Portland), p. 40."Millan, Felix (January 11, 2007). "Iron man" (about the foreman of a project to modify the Bullards Bridge). ''

The World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

'' (Coos Bay, Oregon). The lift span is flanked by two

camelback truss A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

spans. It is located immediately east of

Bullards Beach State Park Bullards Beach State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recreati ...

. The bridge was built to replace Bullards Ferry, a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

service whose

slip Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...

was located about upstream from the bridge that replaced it."Road Commissioners Plan for Span" (December 8, 1950). ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' (Portland), p. 17. The name originates with the Bullard family, who were among the early settlers in the area. The

Oregon Highway Commission The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...

awarded a contract for construction of the bridge and a new section of highway in October 1952."Bandon Job Goes To Portland Firm" (October 23, 1952). ''

'' (Portland), p. 11. The completed bridge was dedicated on September 20, 1954. The overhead clearance for vehicles on the bridge deck originally was between and ,The World staff (March 23, 2004). "Span over Coquille River is damaged and traffic diverted ... again." ''

'' (Coos Bay). but after multiple instances of tall trucks striking the bridge, work was undertaken in 2006–07 to move certain cross pieces in order to increase the vertical clearance on the roadway by about 2 feet. Average daily traffic on the bridge was about 6,000 vehicles in 2004,McCasland, Steve (April 3, 2004). "Bridge repairs prolonged". ''

'' (Coos Bay). but had grown to about 8,300 by 2007. In late 2009, the

Oregon Department of Transportation The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depar ...

was planning a $3.4 million rehabilitation of the Bullards Bridge for 2010–11. The bridge's draw span is very rarely opened now; as of 2009, it had not been raised for marine traffic in seven years, being operated only for annual test openings for maintenance.

References

External links

*{{Structurae , id = 20031731 , title = Bullards Bridge 1954 establishments in Oregon Bridges completed in 1954 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Transportation buildings and structures in Coos County, Oregon Road bridges in Oregon U.S. Route 101 Vertical lift bridges in Oregon Steel bridges in the United States

See also

References

External links