Shasta County, California Bridges: Cypress Avenue Bridge across the Sacramento River

April 2015 (40.5721 Degrees, -122.3732 Degrees) Cypress Avenue Bridge

We continued downstream along the Sacramento River to the Cypress Avenue Bridge. It's a five span haunched girder bridge on pier walls built in 2011 (that replaced an older bridge). A placard on the west (far) abutment shows the City of Redding is the owner, T Y Lin was the designer, Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB) was the project manager, and Kiewit was the contractor. The project cost $72 million but there were 40 claims from Kiewit including an $18 million claim due to problems driving the temporary steel casings for the large diameter shafts that support the bridge. PB was in charge of resolving the claims.

The aesthetic features include haunched girders and oversize pier walls supporting decorative pylons above the deck. The bridge has attracted many homeless people who live in a tent city under the easternmost approach span (on the near bank in the photo).

Shasta County, California Bridges: Cypress Avenue Bridge across the Sacramento River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Napa County, California Bridges: Third Street Bridge across the Napa River

November 2013 (38.29808 Degrees, -122.28367 Degrees) Third Street Bridge

The next bridge upstream across the Napa River is the Third Street Bridge (12C0012) in the City of Napa. This bridge replaced the previous bridge at this site in 2002. The new bridge is a 352 ft long three span box girder with a 156 ft long center span and with piers in the river. In the photo above we are standing upstream (at a bend in the river) looking downstream at the bridge. In the photo below we can see the river bend and the single span Soscol Avenue Bridge (21C0039) barely visible in the left corner of the photo.

I don't know if Napa restored their old buildings or built new buildings to look old, but the city resembles a 19th century town. The Third Street Bridge was also built to look old; with haunched girders, big sidewalks, old-fashioned lampposts, and balconies at the piers where pedestrians can contemplate the river.

Napa County, California Bridges: Third Street Bridge across the Napa River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Niigata, Japan's Bridges: Heisei O'Hashi across the Sabaishi River

August 2007 (N37.3888° E138.5767°) Heisei O'Hashi

On the other side of the island formed by the meandering Sabaishi River is the Heisei O'Hashi, which means the 'big' Heisei Bridge. It is bigger than the Heisei Bridge on the other side of the island. 

This is a continuous, two-span, haunched concrete box girder bridge supported on seat-type abutments and a big caisson.  During the earthquake, the north bridge embankment settled about 400 cm.  There were also signs that the bridge underwent shaking and pounding. 

Although the abutments were on piles, the bearings were distorted, indicating that the abutments had been pushed toward the river.

Niigata, Japan's Bridges: Heisei O'Hashi across the Sabaishi River by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Australia's Bridges: Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River in Queensland (3)

March 2011 (-27.472 deg., 153.021 deg.) Victoria Bridge

A last look at the Victoria Bridge. It cost $3.2 million Australian in 1969 and it still looks pretty good.  

In California when we build a box girder bridge, we make the soffit continuous under the girders. However this bridge has three separate box girders connected by a precast deck. I've seen precast deck panels that are connected by closure pours over the webs. Maybe this bridge has something similar. Nice looking light poles too.

This area is getting crowded with bridges, and its going to get worse. They're going to build a parallel structure since the current bridge is mostly devoted to heavy occupancy vehicles. I like to have some distance between bridges, especially between elegant bridges, and I think the river will become less attractive with wall to wall bridges.

You can see the new Kurilpa Bridge in the background.

Australia's Bridges: Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River in Queensland (3) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Australia's Bridges: Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River in Queensland (2)

March 2011 (-27.472 deg., 153.021 deg.) Victoria Bridge

Another view of the Victoria Bridge over the Brisbane River. From this view we can still see debris from the recent flood. Also, we can see three connector ramps, although there doesn't look like there's enough vertical clearance under the bridge. Since there has to be five or six meters under the soffit, I guess the lack of vehicles gives a false sense of size and distance. Also, I don't understand all the shiny white paint on a concrete bridge!

Australia's Bridges: Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River in Queensland (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Australia's Bridges: Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River in Queensland (1)

March 2011 (-27.472 deg., 153.021 deg.) Victoria Bridge

Just upstream from the Goodwill Bridge is the Victoria Bridge. It's similar to the Captain Cook Bridges but it's shorter and just a single bridge.

These long, haunched, box girder bridges look good and they're an economical solution for a 1000 ft long three span bridge. The end spans balance the cantilevers and they can just put a drop-in span in the center. 


I imagined the bridge was segmentally constructed, but I read on the Structurae website that it was actually build on falsework supported by river piles. We'll take a closer look at the bridge tomorrow.

Australia's Bridges: Victoria Bridge across the Brisbane River in Queensland by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Algeria's Bridges: Second Hydra Bridge in Algiers (2)

July 2003 Second Hydra Bridge  (lat. 36.475· long. 3.040·)

Algeria's Bridges: Second Hydra Bridge in Algiers (1)

July 2003 Second Hydra Bridge  (lat. 36.475· long. 3.040·)

Algeria's Bridges: Reghaia Highway Bridge (2)

July 2003 Reghaia Highway Bridge (lat. 36.739· long. 3.345·)

Algeria's Bridges: Reghaia Highway Bridge (1)

July 2003 Reghaia Highway Bridge (lat. 36.739· long. 3.345·)