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UP - Carquinez Strait Bridge

Contra Costa County, California, and Solano County, California

Photos 

Sacramento River RR bridge

Railroad bridge on right, looking South

Photo taken by Craig Philpott in March 2010

Enlarge

BH Photo #158080

Map 

Street View 

Description 

Railroad bridge with seven Warren through trusses, one lift truss section and Pratt deck truss approaches.

Facts 

Overview
Warren through truss bridge over Carquinez Strait on double track of Union Pacific Railroad in Martinez
Location
Martinez, Contra Costa County, California, and Solano County, California
Status
Open to traffic
History
Originally built for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1929-1930, this is the last simple truss railroad bridge built in the United States at a new location (i.e. where none had existed before).
Railroads
- Amtrak (AMTK)
- Amtrak California (CDTX)
- Southern Pacific Railroad (SP)
- Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
Design
Seven span Warren through truss, one vertical lift span and multiple Pratt deck truss span approach sections.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 531.0 ft.
Total length: 5,603.5 ft. (1.1 mi.)
Deck width: 30.0 ft.
Also called
SP Carquinez Strait Bridge
Suisan Bay Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.04150, -122.12330   (decimal degrees)
38°02'29" N, 122°07'24" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
10/576929/4210782 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Vine Hill
Elevation
82 ft. above sea level
Inventory number
BH 38645 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Amtrak (550)
Amtrak California (19)
Auxiliary Counterweight Tower Leg Vertical Lift (9)
Built 1930 (1,765)
Built during 1930s (11,847)
California (2,647)
Contra Costa County, California (60)
County line crossing (532)
Deck truss (1,787)
Have street view (27,296)
Martinez, California (4)
Movable (3,033)
Open (40,092)
Over a mile long (302)
Owned by railroad (12,733)
Pin-connected (3,980)
 Pratt deck truss (366)
Pratt truss (9,500)
Railroad (15,861)
Riveted (2,227)
Solano County, California (48)
Southern Pacific Railroad (670)
Span Drive Vertical Lift (90)
Span length 500-1000 feet (395)
Through truss (15,461)
Total length over 2500 feet (923)
Truss (33,426)
Union Pacific Railroad (2,385)
Vertical lift (422)
Warren through truss (1,637)
Warren truss (6,690)

Update Log 

  • April 19, 2021: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
  • March 5, 2019: New photos from Geoff Hubbs
  • November 5, 2016: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added categories "Pin-connected", "Riveted"
  • September 3, 2014: Updated by Luke: Added categories "Amtrak California"
  • August 28, 2013: New photos from Douglas Butler
  • October 15, 2010: Updated by Craig Philpott: added photos plus details.
  • March 14, 2010: Updated by Craig Philpott: added pictures
  • March 8, 2010: Updated by Craig Philpott: Added Street view

Sources 

  • Craig Philpott - craigphilpott63 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Douglas Butler
  • Geoff Hubbs
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Comments 

UP - Carquinez Strait Bridge
Posted February 12, 2020, by Gordon Osmundson (gophoto [at] sbcglobal [dot] net)

The American Freedom Train crosses the Southern Pacific - Carquinez Strait Bridge, 1977

UP - Carquinez Strait Bridge
Posted February 12, 2020, by Gordon Osmundson (gophoto [at] sbcglobal [dot] net)

Here are some views of the UP - Carquinez Strait Bridge all taken from the water.

UP Carquinez Strait Bridge
Posted October 23, 2013, by jayhawk

Maybe the writer meant pin connected - 1930 would be getting a bit late for a pin connected bridge.

UP Carquinez Strait Bridge
Posted October 23, 2013, by Jann Mayer (jannmayer [at] gmail [dot] com)

I'm not sure that this is the last simple truss built for a railroad at a new location. The Washington Blvd Bridge in Los Angeles County is a simple Pratt truss, and it was built in 2001 as part of a track re-alignment, so there was no bridge at the location previously.