Alsea Bay Bridge

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Alsea Bay Bridge
The 1991 Alsea Bay Bridge
Crosses	Alsea Bay
Locale	near Waldport, Oregon
Design	concrete arch bridge (both)
Longest span	450 feet (140 m)
Total length	3,011 feet (918 m) (1^st) 2,910 feet (890 m) (2^nd)
Clearance below	70 feet (21 m) (2^nd)
Beginning date of construction	1988
Opening date	1936 (1^st) 1991 (2^nd)
Destruction date	1989 (1^st)
Coordinates	44°25′55″N 124°04′14″W / 44.43193, -124.07055Coordinates: 44°25′55″N 124°04′14″W / 44.43193, -124.07055

The Alsea Bay Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Alsea Bay on U.S. Route 101 near Waldport, Oregon.

[edit] 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 built in 1936.

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. The first bridge was demolished around 1989^[1].

Construction of the second bridge 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 in total length, with a 450 ft main span that provides 70 ft. 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.