Alsea Bay Bridge
The Alsea Bay Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Alsea Bay on U.S. Route 101 (US 101) near Waldport, Oregon.
Alsea Bay Bridge | |
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![]() The 1991 Alsea Bay Bridge | |
Coordinates | 44.4319°N 124.0705°W |
Carries | ![]() |
Crosses | Alsea Bay |
Locale | near Waldport, Oregon |
Characteristics | |
Design | concrete arch bridge (both) |
Total length | 3,011 feet (918 m) (1st) 2,910 feet (890 m) (2nd) |
Longest span | 450 feet (140 m) |
Clearance below | 70 feet (21 m) (2nd) |
History | |
Construction start | 1988 |
Opened | 1936 (1st) 1991 (2nd) |
Closed | 1989 (1st) |
Location | |
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History
There have been two bridges on this site.
The first bridge was designed by Conde McCullough and opened in 1936. It was a 3,011 feet (918 m) long, reinforced-concrete combination deck and through arch bridge.
![](../I/Alsea_Bay_Bridge_at_Low_Tide.jpg.webp)
The hostile environment caused significant corrosion to the steel reinforcements. In 1972 the Oregon Department of Transportation began projects aimed at extending the life of the bridge. By the mid-1980s it was decided to replace the bridge rather than continuing costly rehabilitation efforts.[1] The first bridge was demolished in 1991. Construction of the second bridge, designed by HNTB, began in 1988, and it was opened in the fall of 1991 at a cost of $42.4 million. The bridge is 2,910 ft (890 m) in total length, with a 450 ft (140 m) main span that provides 70 ft (21 m). of vertical clearance. The bridge has a latex concrete deck and the piers are significantly thicker than normal in an attempt to thwart corrosion. Its life expectancy is 75 to 100 years.
![](../I/Alsea_Bay_Bridge_at_Waldport%252C_Oregon_(3387225849).jpg.webp)
See also
Transport portal
Engineering portal
Oregon portal
- List of bridges on U.S. Route 101 in Oregon
References
- Jackson, Donald C. (1988). Great American Bridges and Dams. Wiley. p. 327.
External links
- Photos
- Alsea Bay Bridge (1936) at Structurae
- Alsea Bay Bridge (1991) at Structurae
- Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center
- Survey number HAER OR-14 – Old Alsea Bay Bridge, Spanning Alsea Bay at Oregon Coast Highway, Waldport, Lincoln County, OR at the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER)
- New Alsea Bay Bridge, Spanning Alsea Bay at Oregon Coast Highway, Waldport vicinity, Lincoln, OR at HAER
- Alsea Bay Bridge Photo Gallery