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 bridges designed by Conde McCullough 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 ...

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'' (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 list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, and the General Construction Company of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. 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 e ...

driven to a depth of about below sea level. The project received funding from the Public Works Administration.

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 ...

. 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 ...

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

References

External links