AAA Carolinas release their Top 20 worst bridges in North Carolina

An annual topic here on the blog is the 20 Worst Bridges in North Carolina produced by AAA Carolinas. The 2010 list was recently released and the bridge making the most headlines is the I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River that is steadily climbing towards the top of the list.

This year the Yadkin River bridge is ranked as the 6th worst bridge in the state compared to being ranked 8th one year ago.

The complete list of 20 is available here (via WFMY-TV).

The #1 least sufficient bridge in the state remains the I-40/Business 85 bridge over South Buffalo Creek near Greensboro. Most of the bridges on the list were built between 1950 and 1969. The two youngest bridges on the list -- a bridge carrying I-277 over Johnson Street and the SCLRR in Charlotte (#2 on the list) and the bridge that carries US 52 over SR 4315 in Winston-Salem (#14) -- were built in 1971.

The oldest bridge on the list was built in 1943. It carries US 17 Business over the New River in Jacksonville. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced this year.

Additional Stories:
Guilford County Bridge Tops AAA Substandard List ---WFMY-TV
I-85 bridge No. 6 on list of state's worst ---Salisbury Post
85/Yadkin River Bridge dubbed one of the state's worst ---WBTV-TV

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Horseshoe Meadows Road; former California State Route 190 and the legacy of the Lone Pine-Porterville HIgh Sierra Road

This summer I had an opportunity to drive one of the lesser known great roads of California; Horseshoe Meadows Road from Whitney Portal Road westward into Horseshoe Meadows of the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Aside from being massive climb into the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains the path of Horseshoe Meadows Road was once part of California State Route 190 and was intended to be part of a Trans-Sierra Highway known as the Lone Pine-Porterville High Sierra Road.

Horseshoe Meadows Road is located west of Lone Pine of Inyo County and is 19.7 miles in length. Horseshoe Meadows Road begins at an approximate elevation of 4,500 feet above sea level at Whitney Portal Road in the Alabama Hills and ends at an elevation of 10,072 feet above sea level in Horseshoe Meadows. Horseshoe Meadows Road is the second highest paved road in California only behind Rock Creek Road near Tom's Place. Pjammcycling rates Horseshoe Meadows Road with an average gradient of 6.2% and lists it as th…

History of the Big Oak Flat Road (Yosemite National Park)

This week I hiked much of what was the original alignment of the Big Oak Flat Road which is located to the north of the modern roadway. Unlike the original alignment of the Wawona Road the Old Big Oak Flat Road is surprisingly intact.

The complete history of the Big Oak Flat Road including the original alignment can be found on a 2002 report from the U.S. Department of Interior on the Old Big Oak Flat Road.

U.S. Department of the Interior on the Old Big Oak Flat Road

The Big Oak Flat Road began construction east from the mining community of Big Oak Flat in towards Yosemite Valley in 1869. The Big Oak Flat Road was constructed by the Chinese Camp and Yosemite Turnpike Company which had secured the franchise rights for a toll road to the Yosemite Grant (the designation prior to Yosemite National Park). By the summer of 1871 the Big Oak Flat Road reached the northern cliffs above Yosemite Valley which is when the Chinese Camp and Yosemite Turnpike Company ran out of funding. After the…

The Tioga Pass Road

Last Summer the Tioga Pass Road over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Yosemite National Park opened late due to the heavy snow pack from the previous winter. Approaching the start of July the Park Service finally had cleared the road to Tioga Pass. That being the case I headed up shortly after the 4th of July holiday during a lull in the tourist season.

The Tioga Pass Road runs from the Big Oak Flat Road at Crane Flat east to US Route 395 ("US 395"). The Tioga Pass Road is largely within the boundary of Yosemite National Park but is maintained by Caltrans as California State Route 120 ("CA 120") east of the Tioga Pass entry station to US 395. The National Park Service maintained portion of the Tioga Pass Road serve as a implied connection between the two segments of CA 120. The Tioga Pass Road is the highway mountain pass in California reaching Tioga Pass at 9,945 feet above sea level.

Part 1; the history of the Tioga Pass Road

Tioga Pass first obtained notewort…

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