Franklin Avenue Bridge

Map 

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The Shakespeare Bridge and the Sacatela Creek 

This bridge, the Franklin Ave Bridge, AKA the Shakespeare Bridge (due to its architecture) does not actually quite cross Monon Ave. Monon actually dead-ends at the base of the bridge. Since Monon does not actual pass under or any other street, the logic of building the bridge is a little obscure. However, there is a history that explains it. There is a natural spring where Monon and Tracy Street meet just west of John Marshall High School. This spring feed the Sacatela Creek. It was this creek that Franklin Bridge (and Sunset Bridge over Myra)crossed. Sometime in the late '20's or early thirties the spring was redirected into an underground storm drain, drying up the creek. The creek bed was then paved Monon Street and Myra Street) and built over (Thomas Starr King Middle School).

Facts 

Overview

Concrete arch bridge over Monon Street on Franklin Avenue in Los Angeles

Location

Los Feliz, California, Los Angeles County, California

Status

Open to traffic

History

Built 1925

Design

Arch

Dimensions

Length of largest span: 80.1 ft.
Total length: 261.2 ft.
Deck width: 21.0 ft.

Recognition

Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places

Also called

Shakespeare Bridge

Approximate latitude, longitude

+34.10556, -118.28000   (decimal degrees)
34°06'20" N, 118°16'48" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")

Inventory numbers

CA 53C-161 (California bridge number)
BH 10978 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Inspection (as of 12/2004)

Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 67.5 (out of 100)

Average daily traffic (as of 2002)

23,800

Categories 

Update Log 

• May 2, 2008: Essay added by David Kimbrough

Sources 

• David Kimbrough - kimbrough-photo [at] charter [dot] net

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