The Douglas Bridge (also colloquially known as the J. D. Bridge or simply "the bridge") is located in

Juneau, Alaska The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

, United States. Spanning the

Gastineau Channel Gastineau Channel (Lingít: ''Séet Ká'') is a channel between the mainland of the U.S. state of Alaska and Douglas Island in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska. It separates Juneau on the mainland side from Douglas (now part of J ...

, it connects Juneau's eastern, mainland side with the city's communities on

Douglas Island Douglas Island is a tidal island in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the city and borough of Juneau, just west of downtown Juneau and east of Admiralty Island. It is separated from mainland Juneau by the Gastineau Channel, and contains t ...

to the west. The current span is the second bridge of the same name; the original, built in 1935, was demolished in 1981 following the completion of its replacement in 1980. The bridge is the only roadway link to the communities on Douglas Island:

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, North Douglas and West Juneau, the latter of which is situated at the bridge's western terminus. Egan Drive, Juneau's principal arterial highway, and the bridge are connected at the intersection of Egan and 10th Street, one of the busiest intersections in

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small part ...

. The current bridge provides a two lane road which accommodates vehicular and pedestrian traffic, as well as a bike path.

History

Though strong currents occur at times under the bridge, prior to construction of the original bridge, residents of Douglas Island would row across the channel to reach the mainland. The 1935 bridge, of

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

steel

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

design, underwent construction from both sides of the channel. The

Civil Works Administration The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was a short-lived job creation program established by the New Deal during the Great Depression in the United States to rapidly create mostly manual-labor jobs for millions of unemployed workers. The jobs were ...

and the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

provided grants and loans to assist with construction costs. Its opening was celebrated on October 13, 1935. In 1975, construction began on a new

girder bridge A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box. The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge de ...

and it was completed in 1980. The following year, the old bridge was demolished. For a time, the two bridges stood side by side. A 2006

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) is a department within the government of Alaska. Its headquarters are in Alaska's capital city, Juneau. The mission of Alaska DOT&PF is to "''Keep Alaska Moving through service a ...

project included some bridge joint and pavement improvements, as well as a recommendation to add a reversible center lane. Seeking a solution to relieve traffic on the existing bridge, the CBJ has identified a need for a North Douglas Crossing of the channel as a top transportation priority for Juneau.

Structure

The deck of the newer bridge was constructed using

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...

. It measures in width, and has a span of .

Waterway

At zero tide, the Douglas Bridge is above the waterline. A spring Dolly Varden fishery is situated directly beneath the bridge. The bridge forms a "no

wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...

zone" on its north side.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juneau-Douglas Bridge 1935 establishments in Alaska 1980 establishments in Alaska Bridges completed in 1935 Bridges completed in 1980 1935 in transport 1980 in transport Transportation buildings and structures in Juneau, Alaska Road bridges in Alaska Steel bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States