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Dardanelles Bridge

Tuolumne County, California

Photos 

Historic Dardanelles Bridge

1933 Dardanelles Bridge carrying California Highway 108 over Middle Fork of Stanislaus River

Photo taken by Mike Buckley in July 2011

Enlarge

BH Photo #206275

Map 

Street View 

Description 

Historic Dardanelles Bridge was built in 1933 to carry California highway 108 (Sonora Pass Road) over the middle fork of the Stanislaus River. A rock formation reminiscent of the Dardanelles in Turkey narrows the river to about 30 feet at this point. Detailed information about the bridge can be found here: http://auscanusa.com/pdfs/CaliforniaTrip.pdf

A modern concrete box bridge was built immediately next to the old Dardanelles Bridge and finished in about 1990.

Bridge was the last known remaining Scissors truss in the US.

Facts 

Overview
Lost Timber Scissors deck truss bridge over Middle Fork Stanislaus River on California Route 108
Location
Tuolumne County, California
Status
Destroyed by the Donnell Wildfire on Aug. 6, 2018
History
Built in 1933 by the firm of M. A. Jenkins and J. W. Hoopes of Sacramento, CA.
Builders
- J. W. Hoopes
- M. A. Jenkins
Design
Redwood timber Scissors deck truss bridge with redwood timber stringer approaches.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 71.0 ft.
Total length: 97.0 ft.
Deck width: 24.0 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1989
Also called
Hwy 108 Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.34059, -119.82644   (decimal degrees)
38°20'26" N, 119°49'35" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
11/252974/4247386 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Dardanelle
Elevation
5800 ft. above sea level
Inventory numbers
NRHP K (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 49257 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Built 1933 (681)
Built during 1930s (12,329)
California (2,804)
Deck truss (2,050)
Destroyed by fire (332)
HAER documented (1,138)
Have street view (30,434)
J. W. Hoopes (1)
Last of its kind (24)
Lost (31,819)
Lost 2018 (245)
 Lost during 2010s (3,680)
M. A. Jenkins (2)
NR-listed (3,027)
Owned by state (16,770)
Scissors deck truss (1)
Span length 50-75 feet (10,679)
Total length 75-100 feet (7,075)
Truss (38,324)
Tuolumne County, California (38)
Uncovered wooden truss (166)

Update Log 

  • November 9, 2018: Updated by Daniel: changed "is the last" to "was the last"
  • August 21, 2018: New photo from Daniel
  • August 7, 2018: This bridge was a total loss in a wildfire on Aug. 6, 2018
  • September 3, 2012: New photos from Craig Philpott
  • February 1, 2012: HAER photos posted by Michael Goff
  • November 26, 2011: New Street View added by Craig Philpott
  • July 31, 2011: Updated by Craig Philpott: located on map, refined description
  • July 30, 2011: Added by Mike Buckley

Sources 

  • Mike Buckley
  • Craig Philpott - craigphilpott63 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • HAER CA-72 - Middle Fork Stanislaus River Bridge, Spans Middle Fork Stanislaus River at State Highway 108, Dardanelle, Tuolumne County, CA
  • Daniel

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