Antioch Bridge

Antioch Bridge

Antioch Bridge (2014)
Coordinates 38°01′28″N 121°45′02″W / 38.0244°N 121.7506°W / 38.0244; -121.7506Coordinates: 38°01′28″N 121°45′02″W / 38.0244°N 121.7506°W / 38.0244; -121.7506
Carries 2 lanes of SR 160, bicycles and pedestrians.
Crosses San Joaquin River
Locale Antioch, California and Sacramento County, California, U.S.
Official name Senator John A. Nejedly Bridge[1]
Owner Caltrans
Maintained by Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority
ID number NBI 28 0009
Characteristics
Design steel plate girder
Total length 9,504 feet (2,897 m)
Width 38.1 feet (11.6 m)
Longest span 460 feet (140 m)
Clearance below 135 feet (41 m)
History
Opened December 1978
Replaces 1926 lift bridge
Statistics
Daily traffic 13,600 (2009)
Toll Cars (northbound only)
$5.00 (cash or FasTrak), $2.50 (carpools during peak hours, FasTrak only)
Antioch Bridge
Location in San Francisco Bay Area

The Antioch Bridge (officially the Senator John A. Nejedly Bridge) is an automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian bridge that crosses the San Joaquin River linking Antioch, California with Sherman Island in southern Sacramento County, California, near the city of Isleton, California in the United States. Named after California State Senator John A. Nejedly, the bridge is signed as part of State Route 160. Unlike other toll bridges in California, the Antioch bridge has only a single lane of traffic for each direction.[2]

History

The current bridge was completed and opened to traffic in December 1978.[3] It is 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long.

1926 toll bridge

The original structure was completed in 1926 by the American Toll Bridge Company (Aven Hanford and Oscar Klatt), who went on to build the original span of the Carquinez Bridge. The bridge was opened on 1 January 1926 as a connecting link on the coast-to-coast Victory Highway. Hanford and Klatt, officials with the Rodeo-Vallejo Ferry Company, had organized the American Toll Bridge Company in 1923, which built the bridge at a cost of greater than US$2,000,000 (equivalent to $28,110,000 in 2016).[4]

The Delta Bridge corporation had formed in December 1922,[5] but did not complete a bridge at Antioch. Delta Bridge had received a franchise to build in June 1923.[6]

The 1926 bridge featured two spans each 270 feet (82 m) long which provided a clearance of 70 feet (21 m) below when opened.[4] The original lift span bridge was plagued with problems throughout its lifetime. Heavy traffic could cross it at no more than 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), and its narrow shipping channel led to collisions with freighters in 1958, 1963 and 1970.

State purchase

In 1937, Assemblyman Earl D. Desmond urged the California Toll Bridge Authority to acquire the Antioch Bridge.[7] Desmond believed that by purchasing the bridge, tolls could be eliminated, which would spur economic growth.[8] Director Frank W. Clark negotiated with the American Toll Bridge Company, and the state of California acquired ownership of both the Antioch and Carquinez Bridges at a cost of US$5,943,000 (equivalent to $101,600,000 in 2016) on September 16, 1940. Tolls were reduced immediately and further reduced in 1942.[9]

Marine traffic collisions

The narrow ship channel afforded by the raised span led to marine traffic colliding with the bridge in 1958 (rammed by Kaimana),[10] 1963 (rammed by Pasadena)[11][12] and 1970 (rammed by Washington Bear).[13][14]

The 1970 collision spurred efforts to build a replacement bridge. In that incident, the lift span was stuck in the raised position. The bridge tender could not leave the bridge and remained in the control house for 20 hours. Local firemen eventually made their way to him and brought him out.[15] The bridge was closed for repairs for 5 months.[16]

1978 replacement bridge

Sen. Nejedly authored Senate Bill 25, which later became Chapter 765 of the California Statutes of 1972,[17] authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds to fund the construction of a replacement to the existing bridge. The bill cited the recent extended disruptions in bridge service from marine traffic damage as well as flooding of the approaches.[17]

The high-level bridge opened in December 1978. Shortly before completion, the replacement bridge was named to honor Sen. Nejedly.[1][18]

Tolls

Crossing the original 1926 bridge required a toll, but tolls were removed soon after the state bought the bridge in 1940. Under the ownership of the American Toll Bridge company, in 1940, tolls were US$0.45 (equivalent to $7.69 in 2016) per car plus US$0.05 (equivalent to $0.85 in 2016) per passenger. After the state took ownership, tolls were immediately reduced to US$0.30 (equivalent to $5.13 in 2016) per car (up to four passengers). In 1942, tolls were further reduced to US$0.25 (equivalent to $3.66 in 2016).[9] Tolls were reinstated in 1978 with the completion of the new span.

Tolls are only collected from northbound traffic at the toll plaza on the south side of the bridge. Since July 2010, the toll rate for passenger cars is $5. During peak traffic hours, carpool vehicles carrying two or more people or motorcycles pay a discounted toll of $2.50.[19][20] For vehicles with more than two axles, the toll rate is $5 per axle.[21] Drivers may either pay by cash or use the FasTrak electronic toll collection device. There are currently three booths at the toll plaza, with the far left booth dedicated to FasTrak users only; the other two booths accept both cash and FasTrak.

Animal incidents

In 1965, three circus lions escaped from a truck passing over the Antioch Bridge. Two were quickly recaptured, but one drowned after falling into the river.[22][23]

Humphrey the Whale was stranded near the Antioch Bridge in 1985.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 2015 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California (PDF) (Report). Caltrans. 2016. pp. 71; 255. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Antioch Bridge". Caltrans, District 4. 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  3. ↑ "Bridge Facts: Antioch Bridge". Bay Area Toll Authority.
  4. 1 2 "New Year sees Antioch Bridge opened to travel". Berkeley Daily Gazette. 1 January 1926. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Antioch Bridge Company Formed". Sacramento Union. 22 December 1922. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "To build bridge in delta region". Madera Tribune. United Press Dispatch. 4 June 1923. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Desmond Asks For Purchase Delta Bridge". Lodi News-Sentinel. 10 February 1937. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Buy Antioch Bridge, Urges Earl Desmond". Lodi News-Sentinel. 21 February 1938. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Tolls on Carquinez and Antioch Bridges Again Reduced by State to 25 Cent Rate for Passenger Cars" (PDF). California Highways and Public Works. Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California. 20 (6): 1–2; 15. June 1942. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ramming Closes Antioch Bridge". Lodi News-Sentinel. 2 January 1959. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Freighter Rams Antioch Bridge". Santa Cruz Sentinel. UPI. 18 December 1963. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Cargo Ship Dents Bridge at Antioch". Lodi News-Sentinel. 18 December 1963. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Antioch Bridge". Bridging the Bay. University of California Berkeley Library. December 2, 1999. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Antioch Bridge". Lodi News-Sentinel. 15 January 1971. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "Anxious Perch". Ogden Standard-Examiner. 6 September 1970. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "Antioch Bridge Open To Traffic". Lodi News-Sentinel. UPI. 19 January 1971. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  17. 1 2 California State Assembly. "An act to add Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 30760) to Chapter 2 of Division 17 of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to the Antioch Bridge, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.". 1972 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 765 p. 1374. The Antioch Bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic for 12 months during the past three years. The 46-year-old structure is extremely vulnerable to damage from marine traffic and to closure as a result of flooding of the approach highway. As a result, highway traffic can be, and has been, disrupted for extended periods of time, with the result that the livelihood of many citizens and the economy of their areas has been seriously damaged.
  18. ↑ California State Assembly. "An act to amend Sections 2533 and 2534 of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to roads, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.". 1977–1978 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 140 p. 363.
  19. ↑ "Frequently Asked Toll Questions". Bay Area Toll Authority. 2010-06-01. Archived from the original on 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  20. ↑ "Toll Increase Information". Bay Area Toll Authority. 2010-06-01. Archived from the original on 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  21. ↑ "Toll Increase Information: Multi-Axle Vehicles". Bay Area Toll Authority. 2012-07-01. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  22. ↑ "Antioch Area Is Scene Of Lion Hunting". Lodi News-Sentinel. UPI. 9 September 1965. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  23. ↑ "3 Jungle Cats Make Ill-Fated Freedom Bid". Herald-Journal. AP. 9 September 1965. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  24. ↑ "A second whale in bay; Humphrey still in Antioch". Lodi News-Sentinel. 2 November 1985. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

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