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Healdsburg Memorial Bridge

Redwood Highway Bridge

Healdsburg Memorial Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: April 8, 2013

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Healdsburg Avenue (Former Redwood Highway) Over Russian River
Location
Healdsburg: Sonoma County, California: United States
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1921 By Builder/Contractor: American Bridge Company of New York, New York and Engineer/Design: J. C. Lewis
Rehabilitation Date
Not Available or Not Applicable
Main Span Length
198.0 Feet (60.4 Meters)
Structure Length
438.0 Feet (133.5 Meters)
Roadway Width
21 Feet (6.4 Meters)
Spans
2 Main Span(s)
Inventory Number
20C0065

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
View Information About HSR Ratings

Bridge Documentation

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation For This Bridge

Download An Archive of Project Development Materials Related To The Rehabilitation Project

View The National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form For This Historic Bridge

View Historic Bridge Inventory Sheet For This Bridge

View The Website Formed By A Group Who Worked To Save The Bridge

View The Bridge Rehabilitation Project Website

This beautiful and impressive bridge forms a beautiful centerpiece and gateway in and out of Healdsburg in a way that no modern bridge could ever hope to do. This bridge was at risk for demolition and replacement, but thankfully through both the support of local citizens and a willingness on the part of officials this bridge is to be rehabilitated for continued vehicular use. The city council deserves to be thanked for choosing to preserve this bridge. As a result of their decision, the bridge will continue to be a safe and functional crossing, that also exhibits both heritage and beauty. The bridge is not only a gateway to the city, but the nearby riverbank appears to be a popular beach site and so many people will be able to continue viewing this bridge during beach visits, rather than being forced to look at an ugly modern slab of concrete which is what a replacement bridge would have looked like.

The bridge is a rare multi-span example of a pin-connected Pennsylvania through truss. Pennsylvania truss bridges are today rare, and they have a particularly complex truss configuration that provides a geometric art that is more intricate than truss bridges with simpler configurations. Despite this intricacy, the design actually was developed to maintain an economical use of materials in longer truss spans while not sacrificing bridge strength. Even as complex as it is, the economic use of materials is apparent even in a simple visual sense. Look at this bridge from a distance to see how it has a lightweight appearance, an indication of this economic materials use.

This bridge is also historically significant for its association with the Redwood Highway, which it was originally built to carry.

This particular bridge is also noted for its excellent historic integrity. The loss of original lighting is the only noteworthy alteration to the bridge. Original lattice railings on the sidewalk remain, the the materials and design of the trusses are unchanged. The bridge rests on original concrete abutments and concrete pier. One thing is missing on the bridge: the American Bridge Company plaque has been broken off of the bridge's end posts. It is worth noting that it would be easy to fabricate a replica because American Bridge Company used standard plaques on its bridges and a mold to cast a replica could be created by using a 1920s American Bridge Company plaque from another bridge.

The trusses of the bridge were built by the prolific American Bridge Company of New York, New York. The on-site contractor for the bridge was A. W. Kitchen of San Francisco, California. The bridge design engineer was J. C. Lewis.

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Healdsburg Memorial Bridge

 

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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Original / Full Size Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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View Video

CarCam: Eastbound Crossing With Approach

Full Motion Video
Note: The downloadable high quality version of this video (available on the video page) is well worth the download since it offers excellent 1080 HD detail and is vastly more impressive than the compressed streaming video. Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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View Video

CarCam: Turning Onto Bridge, Eastbound Crossing

Full Motion Video
Note: The downloadable high quality version of this video (available on the video page) is well worth the download since it offers excellent 1080 HD detail and is vastly more impressive than the compressed streaming video. Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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View Video

CarCam: Westbound Crossing

Full Motion Video
Note: The downloadable high quality version of this video (available on the video page) is well worth the download since it offers excellent 1080 HD detail and is vastly more impressive than the compressed streaming video. Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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Maps and Links: Healdsburg Memorial Bridge

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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