Rating:
3 votes

Caveman Bridge

Josephine County, Oregon
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Photos 

Caveman Bridge

Photo taken by Michael Goff on June 23, 2010

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Street View 

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts 

Overview
Rainbow arch bridge over Rogue River on Southbound US 199 in Grants Pass
Location
Josephine County, Oregon
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1927
Builders
- Conde B. McCullough of Redfield, North Dakota (Bridge Engineer)
- John K. Holt (Contractor)
Design
Concrete through arch
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 149.9 ft.
Total length: 549.9 ft.
Deck width: 26.9 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 14.4 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called
Rogue River Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.43000, -123.33139   (decimal degrees)
42°25'48" N, 123°19'53" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
10/472740/4697573 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Grants Pass
Inventory numbers
OR 01418 (Oregon Dept. of Transportation structure number)
BH 30007 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 08/2010)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 32.9 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2010)
18,600

Categories 

Arch (9,438)
Built 1927 (534)
Built during 1920s (7,046)
Concrete balustrade (431)
Conde B. McCullough (99)
Functionally obsolete (7,054)
HAER documented (784)
Have street view (10,033)
John K. Holt (2)
Josephine County, Oregon (14)
NR-eligible (3,750)
 OR 99 (25)
Open (28,453)
Oregon (694)
Owned by state (9,851)
Rainbow arch (194)
Rogue River (14)
Span length 125-175 feet (2,966)
Total length 500-1000 feet (1,819)
US 199 (6)
US 99 (68)

Update Log 

  • March 22, 2011: New photos from Michael Goff
  • July 8, 2010: New photos from Michael Goff
  • June 23, 2010: New photos from Michael Goff
  • April 20, 2009: Posted HAER photos
  • August 6, 2008: New photos from Michael Goff
  • July 8, 2008: Updated by Michael Goff
  • June 18, 2008: Updated by Michael Goff

Related Bridges 

  • Robertson Bridge (Downstream) - Modern Robertson Bridge and Grants Pass Stress Ribbon Bridge between structures
  • Depot Street Bridge (Upstream) - Modern 7th Street Bridge and US 199 Spur Bridge between structures

Sources 

  • Mike Goff - michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • HAER OR-52 - Rogue River Bridge, Spanning Rogue River on Redwood Highway 25, Grants Pass, Josephine County, OR
  • Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon - Dwight A. Smith, James B. Norman & Pieter T. Dykman, Oregon Historical Society Press, 1989
  • Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans - Robert W. Hadlow, Oregon State University Press, 2001
  • HAER CA-269 - Redwood National & State Parks Roads, California coast from Crescent City to Trinidad, Crescent City vicinity, Del Norte, CA
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Comments 

Caveman Bridge
Posted January 8, 2011, by Matthew Lohry

This is an incredible and beautiful bridge--even sitting in place, it looks like it's actually bounding across the river! The arches give it a very graceful appearance.

Caveman Bridge
Posted January 7, 2011, by K. A. Erickson

Damn if I wasn't right on. I read your comment Tony and immediately thought of the Oregon Caves, just down the road a piece. Sure enough. This link confirms it. Good luck Tony and Michael.

http://cce.oregonstate.edu/about/history/mac/caveman.htm

Caveman Bridge
Posted January 7, 2011, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

This is an amazing span.....or another "McCullough Masterpiece"....if you will!

Michael, do you happen to know how the bridge got it's name?