The Yaquina Bay Bridge is an
arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...
that spans
Yaquina Bay
Yaquina Bay ( ) is a coastal estuarine community found in Newport, Oregon, United States. Yaquina Bay is a semi-enclosed body of water, approximately 8 km² (3.2 mi²) in area, with free connection to the Pacific Ocean, but also diluted ...
south of
Newport, Oregon
Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...
. It is one of the most recognizable of the
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 ...
bridges designed by
Conde McCullough
Conde Balcom McCullough (May 30, 1887 – May 6, 1946) was an American civil engineer who is primarily known for designing many of Oregon's coastal bridges on U.S. Route 101. The native of South Dakota worked for the Oregon Department of Tr ...
and one of eleven major bridges on the
Oregon Coast Highway
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
designed by him. It superseded the last ferry crossing on the highway.
History
Work on the Yaquina Bay Bridge began on August 1, 1934. The bridge opened on September 6, 1936,
["Span at Newport Open For Traffic" (September 6, 1936). '']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), pp. 1–2. at a cost of $1,301,016 ($ in today's dollars). A total of 220 people worked to pour 30,000 cubic yards (23,000 m³) of concrete and fabricate 3,100 tons of steel. The contractors were the Gilpin Construction Company of
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, and the General Construction Company of
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
. The main arch was built in toward the center from the anchorages, using tiebacks to support the arch until it could be closed. The piers are supported by
timber pilings
Piling foundations support many historic structures such as canneries, wharves, and shore buildings. The old pilings present challenging problems during restoration as they age and are destroyed by organisms and decay. Replacing the foundation enti ...
driven to a depth of about below sea level. The project received funding from 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 ...
.
Description
The main span is a semi-through arch, with the roadway penetrating the middle of the arch. It is flanked by identical steel deck arches, with five concrete deck arches of diminishing size extending to the south landing. The main arch is marked by tall obelisk-like concrete finials on the main piers, with smaller decorative elements marking the ends of the flanking spans.
The arches are built as box girders. The two-lane road is wide, running inside the arches with two sidewalks. The main arch is above sea level at its crown. Overall length of the bridge is , including concrete deck-girder approach spans. The navigable channel measures wide by high.
[
The bridge uses ]Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
and Art Moderne
Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...
design motifs as well as forms borrowed from Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...
. The Gothic influence is seen in the balustrade, which features small pointed arches, and in the arches of the side span piers. The ends of the bridge are augmented by pedestrian plazas that afford a view of the bridge and provide access to the parks at the landings by stairways. Pedestals were provided for proposed sculptures of seals, but the statues were never executed.
Designation
The Yaquina Bay Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on August 5, 2005.
Gallery
Image:YaquinaBridgeSpan.jpg, The main span
Image:YaquinaBayBridgeRoad.jpg, From the roadway
Image:YaquinaBridgeInterior.jpg, The interior of the bridge
Image:YaquinaBayBridgeBottom.jpg, The base of the bridge
Image:YaquinaBridge.jpg, From the west
Image:YaquinaBridgeNAbut.jpg, The north staircase
Image:YaquinaBayBridge12-2003.jpg, Looking south; photographer is next to north staircase
See also
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* List of bridges on U.S. Route 101 in Oregon
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References
External links
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{{National Register of Historic Places
Bridges completed in 1936
Newport, Oregon
Through arch bridges in the United States
Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
U.S. Route 101
Bridges in Lincoln County, Oregon
Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon
Bridges by Conde McCullough
Public Works Administration in Oregon
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
National Register of Historic Places in Lincoln County, Oregon
1936 establishments in Oregon
Concrete bridges in the United States
Steel bridges in the United States
Box girder bridges in the United States