Rating:
2 votes

Cochrane-Africatown Bridge

Mobile County, Alabama

Photos 

This bridge was built to provide a bridge alternative to the two highway tunnels underneath the Mobile River, and to also provide above-ground passage for hazardous materials that are prohibited from using the tunnels.

Photo taken by Calvin Sneed in June 2010

Enlarge

BH Photo #168252

Map 

Street View 

Facts 

Overview
3-span cable-stayed suspension bridge over Mobile River on U.S. 90 and U.S. 98 Truck Route
Location
Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1991; Named after the Cochrane Bridge, which it replaced, and the former Africatown Community it reached on the western shore
Builder
- Volkert, Inc. of Mobile, Alabama (Design)
Design
Three span, cable stayed suspension bridge
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 781.0 ft.
Total length: 7,291.0 ft. (1.4 mi.)
Deck width: 80.0 ft.
Also called
Cochrane Cable-Stayed Bridge
U.S. 90, U.S. 98 Truck Route Bridge
Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+30.73321, -88.04211   (decimal degrees)
30°43'60" N, 88°02'32" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/400235/3400499 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Mobile
Average daily traffic (as of 2015)
16,250
Inventory numbers
AL 15430 (Alabama bridge number)
BH 45539 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of May 2017)
Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 78 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

Alabama (971)
Built 1991 (82)
Built during 1990s (726)
Cable-stayed (96)
Concrete girder (1,003)
Continuous (2,483)
Deck girder (5,745)
Girder (10,234)
Have street view (26,947)
Mobile County, Alabama (28)
 Mobile, Alabama (16)
Modern (2,437)
Open (39,882)
Over a mile long (301)
Owned by state (15,986)
Span length 500-1000 feet (388)
Total length over 2500 feet (916)
US 90 (71)
Volkert, Inc. (1)

Update Log 

  • July 4, 2020: New photos from Kathryn Weigel
  • July 2, 2020: New photos from Kathryn Weigel
  • July 1, 2020: New photos from Kathryn Weigel
  • June 27, 2020: New photos from Kathryn Weigel
  • June 26, 2020: New photos from Kathryn Weigel
  • March 14, 2015: New photos from Royce and Bobette Haley
  • July 10, 2010: New photo from Nathan Morton
  • June 23, 2010: New Street View added by Cliff Darby
  • June 23, 2010: Added by Calvin Sneed

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • Calvin Sneed - us43137415 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Cliff Darby - cliffsta1987 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Nathan Morton - morton890 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Royce and Bobette Haley - roycehaley111 [at] yahoo [dot] com
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Comments 

Cochrane-Africatown Bridge
Posted July 2, 2010, by Calvin Sneed (us43137415 [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Oh, not at all.. this is one of the most securely stable cable-stayed suspensions in the eastern United States. My experience is with the cable-stayed's on the Ohio River.. this one is much longer, and is built to handle much more weight than those. Because of the hazardous cargo requirements, this one is one of the strongest east of the Mississippi. Examine it close as I did. The supports are very rigid, and the deck is very stiff to prohibit deforming of the steel supports, under heavy weight and high winds.

Truly a spectacular architectural marvel! Could not wait to see it!

Cochrane-Africatown Bridge
Posted June 23, 2010, by Spanfan

Sorry, I like a lot of cable-stayed bridges, but this one's kind of a snoozer-zzzzzzz......