Skip to main content

Siuslaw River Bridge - US 101 in Florence, Oregon

Image
By

 


As the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101) was being completed across the State of Oregon during the 1930s, a number of bridges needed to be built to cross some of the state's finest rivers. In Florence, Oregon, the Siuslaw River Bridge was designed and constructed to help fill in the gaps between different coastal communities. Built in 1936, the Siuslaw River Bridge is a bascule bridge flanked by two reinforced concrete arches that spans across the Siuslaw River. The bridge and the river get their names from the Siuslaw tribal people who make their home along the river valleys of this part of the Oregon Coast. Today, the bridge provides a vital link connecting US 101 and the Central Oregon Coast to points north and south.

The total length of the Siuslaw River Bridge is 1,568 feet, stretching across the river. But more specifically, the bridge is made up of a north approach with eight spans of reinforced concrete deck girder totaling 478 feet in length. There is a main span in three parts, which includes a 140 foot long double leaf Chicago style bascule lift with single 154 foot reinforced concrete tied arch at each end of the bascule lift. Finally, there is a south approach with twelve spans of reinforced concrete deck girder totaling 646 feet in length. Staying true to the artistic touches that bridge engineer Conde McCullough liked to include in his bridge designs, there are four Art Deco style obelisks that house mechanical equipment as well as quarters and office space for the bridge operator were also included in the Siuslaw River Bridge's construction.

Designed by Oregon's State Bridge Engineer Conde B. McCullough, the Siuslaw River Bridge was built by the Mercer-Fraser Company of Eureka, California, and funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (which was later renamed the Public Works Administration). With the New Deal programs that came about during the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal Programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Public Works Administration (PWA), this helped to provide some of the jobs and lend some of the money construction so that the final gaps along the Oregon Coast Highway could be closed. With the funds secured, McCullough had the responsibility of designing, supervising, and finishing the construction of the five major bridges that were to span major bodies of water along the coast, including the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport and the Siuslaw River Bridge. With the inclusion of the funds provided for the Siuslaw River Bridge, the total cost of the bridge was $527,000.

The Siuslaw River Bridge can be enjoyed and seen from a number of vantage points along the Siuslaw River in Florence. For instance, there is a nice viewpoint of the bridge at the Siuslaw Interpretive Center, which is a small park just east of the bridge. In conclusion, the bridge is one of the many treasures you can discover during a trip along the Oregon Coast.

One of the reinforced concrete arches of the Siuslaw River Bridge as well

The reinforced arches and bascule section of the bridge.

Driving north along the bridge. You can see the intricate details of the bridge's obelisks.

Driving south along the bridge. More obelisks, more arches.
An older picture I took during a restoration project on the Siuslaw River Bridge in 2009.


How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
The Living New Deal - Siuslaw River Bridge - Florence, Oregon
Oregon Digital - Siuslaw River Bridge (Florence, Oregon)
Lynn and Judy's Bridge Walking Blog - Siuslaw River Bridge
HistoricBridges.org - Siuslaw River Bridge
Bridgehunter.com - Siuslaw River Bridge
Library of Congress - Siuslaw River Bridge, Spanning Siuslaw River at Oregon Coast Highway, Florence, Lane County, OR
Labels:
Location: Siuslaw River Bridge, 97439 US-101, Florence, OR 97439, USA

Comments

Box Car Hill Campground said…
I would like to say this is a well-informed article as we have seen here. Your way of writing is very impressive and also it is a beneficial article for us. Thanks for sharing an article like this.Oregon Coast Coos Bay
10:55 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Legend of the Ridge Route; a history of crossing the mountains between the Los Angeles Basin and San Joaquin Valley from wagon trails to Interstates

By
Over the past two decades I've crossed the Interstate 5 corridor from Los Angeles north over the Sierra Pelona Mountains and Tehachapi Range to San Joaquin Valley what seems to be an immeasurable number of times.  While Interstate 5 from Castaic Junction to Grapevine via Tejon Pass today is known to most as "The Grapevine" it occupies a corridor which has been traversed by numerous historic highways.  The most notable of these highways is known as the "Ridge Route."  This article is dedicated to the Ridge Route and the various highways that preceded it.  This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Ridge Route corridor introdution The Ridge Route as originally envisioned was a segment of highway which was completed in 1915 between the northern Los Angeles city limit
1 comment
Read more

Establishing the numbering conventions of California's chargeable Interstates

By
The Federal Highway Aid Act of 1956 brought the Interstate Highway System into existence which would largely be constructed by Federal Highway Administration fund matching.  The Interstate Highway System was deliberately numbered to run opposite the established conventions of the US Route System.  While the Interstate Highway numbering conventions are now well established there was a period during the late 1950s where they were still being finalized.  This blog examines the history of the establishing of the chargeable Interstate Highway route numbers in California.  The above blog cover depicts the Interstate Highway route numbers requested by the Division of Highways in the Los Angeles area during November 1957.  The establishment of the numbering conventions of California's chargeable Interstates The Interstate Highway System was not created in a vacuum by way of the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Aid Act.  The beginning of the Interstate Highway System can be found in the
1 comment
Read more

California State Route 210 (legacy of California State Route 30)

By
  California State Route 210 is a forty-mile-long limited access State Highway located in Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County.  California State Route 210 exists as a non-Interstate continuation of Interstate 210 and the Foothill Freeway between California State Route 57 in San Dimas east to Interstate 10 Redlands.  California State Route 210 was previously designated as California State Route 30 until the passage of 1998 Assembly Bill 2388, Chapter 221.  Since 2009 the entirety of what was California State Route 30 has been signed as California State Route 210 upon the completion of the Foothill Freeway extension.  Below westbound California State Route 210 can be seen crossing the Santa Ana River as the blog cover.  California State Route 30 can be seen for the last time on the 2005 Caltrans Map below.  Part 1; the evolution of California State Route 30 into California State Route 210 What was to become California State Route 30 (CA 30) entered the State Highway System duri
Post a Comment
Read more