Yosemite Valley Bridges
Encyclopedia
The Yosemite Valley Bridges are eight bridges in the Yosemite Valley
of Yosemite National Park
, most of them spanning the Merced River
. Five of them were built in 1928, with the remainder built between 1921 and 1933. The bridges feature a concrete structure faced with local stone, in an elliptical or three-centered arch configuration. They are notable for their uniform character and for their conformance to tenets of the National Park Service rustic
style]]. Design work for the seven newer bridges was by George D. Whittle of the San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads for the National Park Service. Concrete bridges were chosen at the urging of Thomas Chalmers Vint
of the Park Service, in lieu of alternative designs for steel truss bridges, or suspension bridges suggested by the park superintendent.
below Yosemite Falls
. Built in 1922, it spans 50 feet (15.2 m) in a single arch of reinforced concrete faced with granite. The bridge is 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, and was built at a cost of $32,000. The bridge originally featured lanterns on the buttresses at either end of the bridge. It replaced an earlier bridge, referred to as "the little red bridge."
The Ahwanee Bridge was built in 1928 across the Merced with three arches, one spanning 42 feet (12.8 m) and the others spanning 39 feet (11.9 m), for a total length of 122 feet (37.2 m). The bridge is 39 feet (11.9 m) wide with a 27 feet (8.2 m) roadway, a 5 feet (1.5 m) sidewalk and a 7 feet (2.1 m) bridle path. It carries the Mirror Lake Road, framing a view of Half Dome for eastbound traffic. Cost was $59,913.09.
The Clark Bridge was also built in 1928 with a single 75.5 feet (23 m) semi-elliptical main span flanked by two round-arched subways for horse-and-rider traffic, 7 feet (2.1 m) wide by 11 feet (3.4 m) high through the bridge's abutments. Cost was $40,061.22. The bridge carries the 27 feet (8.2 m) Curry Stables Road, a 5 feet (1.5 m) sidewalk and a 7 feet (2.1 m) bridle path.
The Pohono Bridge (1928) spans 80 feet (24.4 m), carrying the 27 feet (8.2 m) El Portal Road and a 5 feet (1.5 m) bridle path, at a cost of $29,081.55.
The Sugar Pine Bridge (1928), also historically known as the Kenneyville Bridge No. 2, spans 106 feet (32.3 m) at a five-degree skew across the river, with a 27 feet (8.2 m) roadway, a 5 feet (1.5 m) sidewalk and a 7 feet (2.1 m) sidewalk. It carries the Mirror Lake Road. The longest span of the eight bridges, the cost was $73,507.44. The bridge was named for a large sugar pine
that grew to the north of the east bridge abutment.
The Tenaya Creek Bridge (1928) spans Tenaya Creek with a single 56.75 feet (17.3 m) arch at a 25-degree skew on the Happy Isles-Mirror Lake Road. The bridge carries the standard roadway, bridle path and sidewalk. Cost was $37,749.16.
The Happy Isles Bridge on the Happy Isles Road was built in 1929 with one span of 75 feet (22.9 m) and two equestrian subways in its abutments similar to those of the Clark Bridge, its near twin. The bridge's total length is 126 feet (38.4 m). Cost was $46,673.03.
The Stoneman Bridge (1933) resembles the Clark and Happy Isles bridges, with a 72 feet (21.9 m) main span carrying a 27 feet (8.2 m) road and two 6 feet (1.8 m) sidewalks. The equestrian subways in the abutments were slightly enlarged in width to 8.5 feet (2.6 m) and were extended out from the surface of the wing walls for greater emphasis. It is located at the Camp Curry intersection. Cost was $71,675.08. The bridge replaced a wooden bridge that had carried the former "Royal Arch Avenue" to the Stoneman Hotel, which had been demolished by the 1920s. Construction on the bridge was built by Sullivan and Sullivan of Oakland, California, but was terminated when the Bureau of Public Roads lost confidence in the contractor's ability to carry out the work. The bridge was completed by the Portland, Oregon firm of Kueckenberg & Wittman.
The bridges were listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places
on November 25, 1977.
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
of Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, most of them spanning the Merced River
Merced River
The Merced River , in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It is most well known for its swift and steep course through the southern part of Yosemite National Park, and the...
. Five of them were built in 1928, with the remainder built between 1921 and 1933. The bridges feature a concrete structure faced with local stone, in an elliptical or three-centered arch configuration. They are notable for their uniform character and for their conformance to tenets of the National Park Service rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style]]. Design work for the seven newer bridges was by George D. Whittle of the San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads for the National Park Service. Concrete bridges were chosen at the urging of Thomas Chalmers Vint
Thomas Chalmers Vint
Thomas Chalmers Vint was a landscape architect credited for directing and shaping landscape planning and development during the early years of the United States National Park System. His work at Yosemite National Park and the development of the Mission 66 program are among his better known...
of the Park Service, in lieu of alternative designs for steel truss bridges, or suspension bridges suggested by the park superintendent.
Individual bridges
The Yosemite Creek Bridge is the oldest, carrying the North Road and spanning Yosemite CreekYosemite Creek
Yosemite Creek Campground, located in the northern area of Yosemite National Park along Tioga Road , is a first-come first-served campground outside of Yosemite Valley. This campground is remote, quiet, and less populated relative to other campgrounds in Yosemite...
below Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak....
. Built in 1922, it spans 50 feet (15.2 m) in a single arch of reinforced concrete faced with granite. The bridge is 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, and was built at a cost of $32,000. The bridge originally featured lanterns on the buttresses at either end of the bridge. It replaced an earlier bridge, referred to as "the little red bridge."
The Ahwanee Bridge was built in 1928 across the Merced with three arches, one spanning 42 feet (12.8 m) and the others spanning 39 feet (11.9 m), for a total length of 122 feet (37.2 m). The bridge is 39 feet (11.9 m) wide with a 27 feet (8.2 m) roadway, a 5 feet (1.5 m) sidewalk and a 7 feet (2.1 m) bridle path. It carries the Mirror Lake Road, framing a view of Half Dome for eastbound traffic. Cost was $59,913.09.
The Clark Bridge was also built in 1928 with a single 75.5 feet (23 m) semi-elliptical main span flanked by two round-arched subways for horse-and-rider traffic, 7 feet (2.1 m) wide by 11 feet (3.4 m) high through the bridge's abutments. Cost was $40,061.22. The bridge carries the 27 feet (8.2 m) Curry Stables Road, a 5 feet (1.5 m) sidewalk and a 7 feet (2.1 m) bridle path.
The Pohono Bridge (1928) spans 80 feet (24.4 m), carrying the 27 feet (8.2 m) El Portal Road and a 5 feet (1.5 m) bridle path, at a cost of $29,081.55.
The Sugar Pine Bridge (1928), also historically known as the Kenneyville Bridge No. 2, spans 106 feet (32.3 m) at a five-degree skew across the river, with a 27 feet (8.2 m) roadway, a 5 feet (1.5 m) sidewalk and a 7 feet (2.1 m) sidewalk. It carries the Mirror Lake Road. The longest span of the eight bridges, the cost was $73,507.44. The bridge was named for a large sugar pine
Sugar Pine
Pinus lambertiana, commonly known as the sugar pine or sugar cone pine, is the tallest and most massive pine, with the longest cones of any conifer...
that grew to the north of the east bridge abutment.
The Tenaya Creek Bridge (1928) spans Tenaya Creek with a single 56.75 feet (17.3 m) arch at a 25-degree skew on the Happy Isles-Mirror Lake Road. The bridge carries the standard roadway, bridle path and sidewalk. Cost was $37,749.16.
The Happy Isles Bridge on the Happy Isles Road was built in 1929 with one span of 75 feet (22.9 m) and two equestrian subways in its abutments similar to those of the Clark Bridge, its near twin. The bridge's total length is 126 feet (38.4 m). Cost was $46,673.03.
The Stoneman Bridge (1933) resembles the Clark and Happy Isles bridges, with a 72 feet (21.9 m) main span carrying a 27 feet (8.2 m) road and two 6 feet (1.8 m) sidewalks. The equestrian subways in the abutments were slightly enlarged in width to 8.5 feet (2.6 m) and were extended out from the surface of the wing walls for greater emphasis. It is located at the Camp Curry intersection. Cost was $71,675.08. The bridge replaced a wooden bridge that had carried the former "Royal Arch Avenue" to the Stoneman Hotel, which had been demolished by the 1920s. Construction on the bridge was built by Sullivan and Sullivan of Oakland, California, but was terminated when the Bureau of Public Roads lost confidence in the contractor's ability to carry out the work. The bridge was completed by the Portland, Oregon firm of Kueckenberg & Wittman.
The bridges were listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on November 25, 1977.
External links
- Yosemite Creek Bridge, Spanning Yosemite Creek on Northside Drive, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, one drawing, seven photos, seven data pages, one photo caption page at the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER)
- Ahwahnee Bridge, Spanning Merced River on service road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, one drawing, eight black and white photos, one color photo, eight data pages, two photo caption pages at HAER
- Clark's Bridge, Spanning Merced River on Service road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, eight photos, eight data pages and one photo caption page at HAER
- Pohono Bridge, Spanning Merced River on Yosemite Valley Road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, eight black and white photos, one color photo, nine data pages, two photo caption pages at HAER
- Sugar Pine Bridge, Spanning Merced River on service road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, one drawing, eleven black and white photos, eight data pages and one photo caption page at HAER
- Tenaya Creek Bridge, Spanning Tenaya Creek on Mirror Lake Road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, twelve black and white photos, nine data pages, one photo caption page at HAER
- Happy Isles Bridge, Spanning Merced River on Service road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, , eight photos, six data pages and one photo caption page at HAER
- Stoneman Bridge, Spanning Merced River on Stoneman Crossover Road, Yosemite Village, Mariposa, CA, Two drawings, twelve black and white photos, one color photo, seven data pages and two photo caption pages at HAER