Skip to main content

November Bay Area Part 4; Richmond-San Rafael Bridge/I-580

By
Given that I was heading to the Marin Headlands from Mount Diablo I didn't think it would be a good idea to try to slog through downtown San Francisco and have to pay two bridge tolls.  That being the case after finishing a route clinch of CA 24 I jumped on I-580 and headed to the northern end of San Francisco Bay to cross via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.


The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is a double deck truss bridge spanning 5.5 miles with a maximum clearance of 185 feet.  The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge connects Richmond in Contra Costa County and San Rafael in Marin County.  Construction on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge started in 1953 and was completed by 1956. The 1956 and 1957 state highway maps reflect the completion of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on the northern end of San Francisco Bay.

1956 State Highway Map

1957 State Highway Map

Prior to 1959 the route leading to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was part of unsigned Legislative Route Number 69 between US 101 and US 40.  It wasn't until 1959 that California State Route 17 was extended over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to meet US 101.  The change from an unsigned highway to CA 17 can be seen on the 1958 and 1959 State Highway Map City inserts.

1958 State Highway Map Insert

1959 State Highway Map Insert

By 1984 I-580 had been extended over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge replacing CA 17.  The I-580 designation was one of many of what I consider to be questionable Interstate Designations in the Bay Area which replaced previous state highways with preexisting route continuity.

Currently the toll for crossing the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is $5 dollars for two axle vehicles.  After the tollbooths the official name for the structure the "John F McCarthy Memorial Bridge" can be observed.


The double decker structure of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is pretty striking.  It appears that the shoulder in theory could be utilized in the future for an additional lane if the need ever arose.  The  bridge is obviously exempt from Interstate Standards given there is not a shoulder on both sides of the roadway.






There is a decent overlook of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in Marin County at San Quentin Point.  Interesting to consider that one of the most infamous California State Prisons is literally within walking distance of the overlook.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 224

By
This previous month I drove what was California State Route 224 from US 101/CA 1 south to Carpinteria State Beach. CA 224 was a 1 mile State Highway which was routed from US 101/CA 1 through Carpinteria to Carpinteria State Beach.  The route of CA 224 followed Casitas Pass Road, Carptineria Avenue and Palm Avenue to the State Beach Gate. The route that became CA 224 dates back to the creation of Legislative Route 152 which was added to the State Highway System in 1933 according to CAhighways.org.  In it's original configuration LRN 152 simply connected from US 101/LRN 2 on Carpinteria Avenue south to Carpinteria State Beach.  The earliest route of LRN 152 can be seen on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map of Santa Barbara County. During the 1964 Renumbering CA 224 was assigned to LRN 152.  This change can be seen on the 1964 State Highway Map. According to  CAhighways.org CA 224 was legislatively deleted as a State Highway.  M...
Post a Comment
Read more