Alsea Bay Bridge

Alsea Bay Bridge
Alsea Bay Bridge
	The 1991 Alsea Bay Bridge
Coordinates	44°25′55″N 124°04′14″W / 44.4319°N 124.0705°W
Carries	US 101
Crosses	Alsea Bay
Locale	near Waldport, Oregon
Characteristics
Design	concrete arch bridge (both)
Total length	3,011 feet (918 m) (1st); 2,910 feet (890 m) (2nd)
Longest span	450 feet (140 m)
Clearance below	70 feet (21 m) (2nd)
History
Construction start	1988
Opened	1936 (1st); 1991 (2nd)
Closed	1989 (1st)
Location

The Alsea Bay Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Alsea Bay on U.S. Route 101 (US 101) near Waldport, Oregon.

History

There have been two bridges on this site.

The first bridge was designed by Conde McCullough and opened in 1936. It was a 3,011 feet (918 m) long, reinforced-concrete combination deck and through arch bridge.

The hostile environment caused significant corrosion to the steel reinforcements. In 1972 the Oregon Department of Transportation began projects aimed at extending the life of the bridge. By the mid-1980s it was decided to replace the bridge rather than continuing costly rehabilitation efforts.^[1] The first bridge was demolished in 1991. Construction of the second bridge, designed by HNTB, began in 1988, and it was opened in the fall of 1991 at a cost of $42.4 million. The bridge is 2,910 ft (890 m) in total length, with a 450 ft (140 m) main span that provides 70 ft (21 m) of vertical clearance. The bridge has a latex concrete deck and the piers are significantly thicker than normal in an attempt to thwart corrosion. Its life expectancy is 75 to 100 years.