Skip to main content

California State Route 84 west from Interstate 880 over the Dumbarton Bridge

On a recent Bay Area trip I took California State 84 west from Interstate 880 over San Francisco Bay via the Dumbarton Bridge.


The Dumbarton Bridge is a 1.63 mile structure crossing San Francisco Bay near Dumbarton Point.  The Dumbarton Bridge is the southernmost bridge in San Francisco Bay and the shortest.  The current Dumbarton Bridge was completed by 1982 in a four-lane configuration and was expanded to six-lanes by 1989.

The original Dumbarton Bridge opened in 1927 and was built private money.  The 1927 Dumbarton Bridge was similar to the 1929 San Mateo-Hayward Bridge in that it featured a causeway structure and a center vertical lift span.  Like the 1929 San Mateo-Hayward Bridge the 1927 Dumbarton Bridge was purchased by the California Division of Highways in 1951.  The 1927 Dumbarton Bridge became part of Legislative Route 107 which already existed on both ends of the structure since 1933.  Said change to LRN 107 can be observed by comparing the 1951 State Highway Map to the 1952 edition.

1951 State Highway Map

1952 State Highway Map

LRN 107 and the 1927 Dumbarton Bridge would become part of CA 84 during the California Highway Renumbering of 1964.

1963 State Highway Map

1964 State Highway Map

The 1927 Dumbarton Bridge was mostly demolished in 1984 but a small portion of the eastern approach near in Newark exists as a fishing pier.

My approach to CA 84 west and the Dumbarton Bridge were from I-880 south.





CA 84 west enters the City Limits of Newark (Alameda County) west of I-880.  CA 84 west to the Dumbarton Bridge toll is a freeway grade signed at 65 MPH.


Heading west on CA 84 it is apparent some of the overhead signage has seen better days.


Tolls for the Dumbarton Bridge are collected on westbound CA 84 and are $6 dollars cash for a two axle vehicle.  The last Exit before the Dumbarton Bridge toll is at Thorton Avenue/Paseo Padre Parkway.








West of the Dumbarton Bridge toll the route of CA 84 largely falls below freeway standards and has a poor surface quality.  The speed limit over the Dumbarton Bridge is 55 MPH.









As the Dumbarton Bridge rises over San Francisco Bay it enters San Mateo County and Menlo Park.


The Dumbarton Bridge ends in Menlo Park.  CA 84 continues west over the San Cruz Mountains to CA 1 on the Pacific Ocean.  After crossing the Dumbarton Bridge I turned south on CA 109 on University Avenue.










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Former California State Route 180 in Centerville

Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854.  The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road.  The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934.  By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park.  For the majority of the life of California State Route 180 in Centerville, it has not strayed far from Kings Canyon Road.  This changed in 2020 when California State Route 180 was relocated onto the Kings Canyon Expressway.  This blog serves as an overview of the history of California State Route 180 and general evolution of highways in Centerville.  California State Route 180 can be seen passing through Centerville and Minkler below on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno Count...

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...