Showing posts with label Bascule Bridge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bascule Bridge. Show all posts

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Sonoma County, California Bridges: NWP Haystack Landing Bridge across the Petaluma River (2)

April 2016 (38.2277, -122.6145) Petaluma River Bridge
Adjacent to the State Route 101 Bridge is a bascule bridge replacement for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) and NWP Railroad.  The original Haystack Landing (Swing) Bridge across the Petaluma River (shown below) was built in 1903 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company and moved to Petaluma. The replacement, a railroad bridge across the Intercostal Waterway on Galveston Island, was sold to SMART as part of $70 million project to expand the railroad 40 miles between Santa Rosa to San Raphael.
The replacement bridge was built in Galveston in 1986 after the previous bridge was destroyed by a hurricane. In 2012 the 105 ft long bascule bridge was replaced with a much longer (300 ft long) lift bridge. The old bascule bridge was sold to SMART for $4 million. It was taken apart and carried by rail to California before being reassembled on Mare Island. The old swing bridge was sold for scrap and moved out of the way in September of 2015.
The replacement is a single leaf bascule with a Scherzer type of rolling lift span that has a quick and simple operation. The bridge can carry live loads without any mechanism and uses rack and pinion gears to raise and lower the span.
Creative Commons License
Sonoma County, California Bridges: NWP Haystack Landing Bridge across the Petaluma River (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Marin County, California Bridges: NWPRR Corte Madera Creek Bridge

January 2016 (37.94332-122.51351) NWPRR Bridge 
There used to be several movable bridges in Marin County but only two remain. The Petaluma River Railroad Bridge is on the border with Sonoma County and it was covered in a 2014 blog. The Corte Madera Creek Bridge was made famous by Clint Eastwood who jumped off the trestle portion onto a school bus (without a stunt double) in the film 'Dirty Harry.'  The section Clint Eastwood jumped from (over Sir Francis Drake Blvd) was removed in 2003.

Terry Koglin in his book 'Movable Bridges' managed to provide data on every movable bridge in the U.S. He wrote that today's bridge was built in 1930. It includes an 80 ft long bascule span. It was owned by the Northwest Pacific Railroad but it's currently abandoned. The bascule span provided 10.5 ft of vertical clearance in the closed position but it has remained open for many years and is covered with rust.
Creative Commons License
Marin County, California Bridges: NWPRR Corte Madera Creek Bridge by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

San Francisco County, California Bridges: Illinois Street Bridge across Islais Creek

July 2014 (37.74740, -122.38617) Illinois Street Bridge
The last movable bridge in San Francisco County is the Illinois Street Bridge. Sitting one block away from yesterday's Third Street Bridge, it is a single leaf bascule bridge without counterweights. Instead, the bridge is raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinders that pull and push on lever arms connected to the steel deck. Perhaps this is the future for bascule bridges? It was built in 2006 by Shimmick Construction and others. It doesn't have a county bridge number because it's owned by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). It was built between San Francisco Port's north and south terminals, mainly for trucks, but also with sidewalks for bikes and pedestrians and with rails for freight trains.  
Creative Commons License
San Francisco County, California Bridges: Illinois Street Bridge across Islais Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

San Francisco County, California Bridges: Third Street Bridge across Islais Creek

July 2014 (37.74694 Degrees, -122.38694 Degrees) Third Street Bridge
Today's bridge is also on Third Street but several miles to the south across Islais Creek. It's called the Levon Hagop Nishkian Bridge (34C0024) after the senior member of a family of civil engineers that have practiced in San Francisco for the last 100 years. It is a double leaf bascule bridge that was built in 1945. Some nice photos of Islais Creek and the bridge (taken just after the Second World War) are on this website. An unusual aspect of the bridge is the art deco style of the bridge tender's house and of the shiny silver-painted covers over the arms supporting the counterweights, which are under the bridge. The bridge also has overhead catenary cables and tracks for the trolleys (owned by Caltrain) that cross the bridge.
Creative Commons License
San Francisco County, California Bridges: Third Street Bridge across Islais Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

San Francisco County, California Bridges: Fourth Street Bridge across China Basin

July 2014 (37.77495 Degrees, -122.39230 Degrees) Fourth Street Bridge
The Fourth Street (Peter R. Maloney) Bridge (34C0027) is just a block away from yesterday's bridge. It was originally a heel trunnion bascule bridge similar to it's neighbor. However, after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake they removed the 1.4 million pound counterweight above the bridge and replaced it with a mainly decorative 100,000 pound weight. A new counterweight was then placed in a pit under the road to raise and lower the bridge. 

During the next earthquake, the much lighter, decorative weight can be securely supported without damaging the bridge while the new counterweight is prevented from moving. This bridge was built in 1917 and retrofitted between 2003 and 2006.
Creative Commons License
San Francisco County, California Bridges: Fourth Street Bridge across China Basin by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Monday, July 28, 2014

San Francisco County, California Bridges: Third Street Bridge across China Basin

July 2014 (37.77694 Bridges-122.39000 Bridges) Third Street Bridge
We've left San Mateo County for tiny San Francisco County at the top of the peninsula. Besides the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge there are just a few other iconic bridges in the county. Four interesting bascule bridges are located on the east side of San Francisco along the Bay. 

The Third Street (Lefty O'Dowd) Bridge (34C0025) is next to the AT&T Baseball Park in China Basin. It's a Strauss Heel Trunion Single Leaf Bascule Bridge that was built in 1932. These bridges are interesting to watch open and close. In order for the leaf span to be lifted high in the air, the arms that hold the counterweight fold up and rotate the weight out of the way of the approaching roadway. There are several nice videos on Youtube showing the bridge opening and closing. The bridge also has an unusual split counterweight. 
Creative Commons License
San Francisco County, California Bridges: Third Street Bridge across China Basin by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Monday, May 5, 2014

San Joaquin County, California Bridges: BNSF Railroad Bridge across the San Joaquin River

April 2014 (37.93708-121.33454 ) BNSF Bridge
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad Bridge across the San Joaquin River is the easternmost of three almost identical Abt trunnion bascule bridges built around 1930. I couldn't find an open road to drive up to the bridge so I took a few pictures with a telephoto lens. 
This bridge was fabricated by the American Bridge Company of New York. It is a 330 ft long bridge with the Warren truss span supporting the counterweight and with plate girder bascule and approach spans. A closer look at an Abt bridge is on the April 20th blog of the Bacon Island Bridge.
Creative Commons License
San Joaquin County, California Bridges: BNSF Railroad Bridge across the San Joaquin River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

San Joaquin County, California Bridges: W120-S5 Connector across the San Joaquin River

April 2014 (37.78580 Degrees-121.30640 Degrees) Mossdale (SR 120) Bridge
Unlike the Manthey Road Bridge, the adjacent Mossdale (State Route 120) Bridge (29 0016F) appears to be getting some much needed attention. Although this bridge still has its counterweight, like all the other bridges across this part of the San Joaquin River, it can no longer move. 

Despite being rendered inoperable, the bascule span still maintains a very striking appearance. The counterweight and trunnion are above the roadway, which could have been unattractive, but the designer carefully shaped the counterweight to match the flared end of the bascule span. The designer used metal aggregate in the counterwieght to reduce it's size. The concrete piers also have an attractive appearance.
Unfortunately, this bridge is in almost as poor a shape as it's neighbor (with a structural deficiency rating of 13). This is particularly problematic since unlike the Manthey Bridge, the Mossdale Bridge is part of a major interchange (I-5/120) and carries about 40,000 vehicles a day. However, it does look like it is being renovated.
The W120-S5 Connector Bridge is a five span bridge with continuous pony truss approach spans and a short through truss at the counterweight. This bridge is 583 ft long with a 130 ft main span.
Creative Commons License
San Joaquin County, California Bridges: W120-S5 Connector across the San Joaquin River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

San Joaquin County, California Bridges: Manthey Road Bridge across the San Joaquin River

April 2014 (37.78596, -121.30677 Degrees) Manthey Road Bridge
The Manthey Road Highway Bridge (29C0127) is composed of a pin connected (8 panel) Parker through truss span on the west side of the San Joaquin River and a single leaf riveted Strauss bascule span on the east side of the river. However, the counterweights have been removed from the bascule span, which can no longer move.
The two main spans are supported on pier walls and the approach (steel stringer) spans are supported on two-column bents. The bridge is 540 ft long with a 200 ft long main (through truss) span. 
This bridge was built in 1926 and it's in poor condition. The sidewalk (as previously mentioned) is covered in weathered plywood. When I tried to walk on it my boots immediately punched through it (luckily I was holding tightly to the railing). The trusses are covered in rust. This bridge has a low sufficiency rating (7.1) with the deck rated 'critical' and superstructure rated 'serious.' Manthey Road is used as a frontage road for I-5 and it had traffic on it while I was taking pictures. I noticed it was on the California Historical Bridge Site, so maybe it will soon get some much needed attention.
Creative Commons License
San Joaquin County, California Bridges: Manthey Road Bridge across the San Joaquin River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

San Joaquin County, California Bridges: Tracy Boulevard Bridge across the Grant Line Canal

April 2014 (37.82000-121.45000 Degrees) Grant Line Canal Bridge
After crossing the Middle River Bridge, I turned south onto Tracy Blvd and arrived at the Grant Line Canal Bridge (29C0022). This is a long concrete trestle bridge (built in 1959) with bascule spans over the canal. 
The bridge is 471 ft long with 163 ft long bascule spans. It's 28 ft wide and provides about 17 ft vertical clearance over the canal. The bridge is 55 years old and was never rehabilitated. It carries 2000 vehicles a day, it's in satisfactory condition, and has a sufficiency rating of 57. 

My feeling is that this bridge may still be opened and closed.

Creative Commons License
San Joaquin County, California Bridges: Tracy Boulevard Bridge across the Grant Line Canal by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

San Joaquin County, California Bridges: BNSF Bacon Island Bridge across the Middle River

April 2014 (37.93979 Degrees-121.53310 Degrees) Bacon Island Bridge
Three Hugo Abt designed bascule bridges carry the BNSF Railway across rivers in San Joaquin County. The Woodward Island Bridge across the Old River was studied in February and can be seen (in the distance) in the photo above. The Bacon Island Bridge across the Middle River will be studied today. We'll look at the 3rd Hugo Abt Bascule Bridge over the San Joaquin River next week.
The BNSF - Bacon Island Bridge is part of a long concrete trestle that carries the BNSF tracks over a cut made between Woodward and Bacon Islands. The BNSF - Woodward Island Bridge is at the western end of the trestle. All of the bascule bridges were built by the American Bridge Company between 1928 and 1930.
On an Abt bridge, a large weight is suspended from a tall steel truss. As the weight swings down, a shorter truss folds, which lifts up the adjacent steel girder span.  A photo of an Abt bridge in the open position is provided by the HistoricBridges Website

According to 'Movable Bridge Engineering,' the vertical clearance for the Bacon Island Bridge is 11 ft in the closed position. However, whether this bridge is still being opened is questionable. 
Railroad bridge engineers have little interest in bridge aesthetics, which results in their bridges having a very utilitarian appearance. Apparently, a lack of concern about aesthetics results in a strong aesthetic statement. 

These bridges carry freight and passenger trains across the California Delta.
Creative Commons License
San Joaquin County, California Bridges: BNSF Bacon Island Bridge across the Middle River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Contra Costa County, California Bridges: Woodward Island RR Bridge across the Old River

February 2014 (37.94127 Degrees, -121.55907 Degrees) Washington Island Railroad Bridge
We are continuing our study of movable bridges in Contra Costa County. Just downstream from yesterday's State Route 4 Bridge is the Woodward Island Railroad Bridge across the Old River. Like the previously studied Indian Slough Railroad Bridge, this bridge carries the BNSF Railroad and Amtrak between Stockton and Martinez.

The Woodward Island RR Bridge has concrete trestle approaches and plate girder/through truss bascule spans. According to the Bridgehunter, this is one of only 8 remaining bridges that use Hugo A.F. Abt's patented design. In this design the counterweight swings under the tall truss while lifting the plate girder span. This allows the approach to remain open under the counterweight. This odd design allows a replacement Abt bridge to be built on the same alignment in the open position facing the other bridge. Terry Koglin describes this solution for movable bridge replacement in his book, "Movable Bridge Engineering." I would imagine that the deck of the replacement bridge must wait until after the old bridge is removed.
Today's bridge was built by the American Bridge Company in 1929. It has a 177 ft long bascule section with a 90 ft long span over the channel with 11 ft of vertical clearance in the closed position.
Creative Commons License
Contra Costa County, California Bridges: Woodward Island RR Bridge across the Old River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Palm Beach County, Florida Bridges: South Beach Road Bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway

January 2014 (26.95250 Degrees, -80.07861 Degrees) South Beach Road Bridge
A little north of the Loxahatchee River is the South Beach Road (CR-707) Bridge (FDOT #930056) across the Intracoastal Waterway. It's a 574 ft long concrete trestle bridge with a double leaf steel bascule span that was built in 1969. The bridge provides a 90 ft clear channel span and 24 ft vertical clearance in the closed position. We can see one of the counterweights on the opposite side of the bascule pier in both photos.
Creative Commons License
Palm Beach County, Florida Bridges: South Beach Road Bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Palm Beach County, Florida Bridges: Jupiter Railroad Bridge (and SR-811 Highway Bridge) across the Loxahatchee River

January 2014 (26.94861 Degrees, -80.08917 Degrees) Jupiter Railroad Bridge
The Jupiter Railroad Bridge crosses at the mouth of the Loxahatchee River just west of the SR-811 Concrete Trestle Bridge (FDOT #930339). The SR-811 Bridge is taller and has timber fenders adjacent to the bascule span of the railroad bridge to allow smaller boats passage between the Loxahatchee River and the Intracoastal Waterway (see photo below).
The Railroad Bridge consists of a rusty plate girder superstructure and a big caisson substructure that rises just above the water surface. It originally had two sets of tracks but the western tracks were removed. I walked on the bridge to get a closer view of the bascule span, but it was difficult because of the large spaces between the timber ties.
The Jupiter Railroad Bridge is about 600 ft long and it was built in 1925. It's owned by the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway. The bridge crosses the river channel with a 40 ft long single leaf bascule span that remains open except when a train comes across the bridge.
Creative Commons License
Palm Beach County, Florida Bridges: Jupiter Railroad Bridge (and SR-811 Highway Bridge) across the Loxahatchee River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Palm Beach County, Florida Bridges: US1 Bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway

January 2014 (26.94583 Degrees, -80.08444 Degrees) Jupiter Federal Bridge
The US-1 (SR-5) Bridge (FDOT #930005) is a 843 ft long bridge with parallel twin leaf bascule spans that crosses at a bend in the Intracoastal Waterway in the City of Jupiter. Similar to yesterday's bridge the approach spans are precast girders on multicolumn bents. Note the counterweights are big blocks of concrete in steel bins that sit under the adjacent spans.
This bridge is 843.6 ft long with a 116.5 ft bascule span and it was built in 1958. It's 65 ft wide (carrying one of the main roads through town) and the constant opening and closing is a major nuisance.
Creative Commons License
Palm Beach County, Florida Bridges: US1 Bridge across the Intracoastal Waterway by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.