San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge
Coordinates: 32 ° 41 ′ 11 " N , 117 ° 9 ′ 30" W.
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View of the bridge from the San Diego Bay from | ||
Official name | San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge | |
use | California State Route 75 | |
Crossing of | San Diego Bay | |
place | San Diego ( California ) and Coronado (California) | |
construction | Girder bridge | |
overall length | 3,407 m | |
Longest span | 573 m | |
Clear height | 60.96 m | |
vehicles per day | 68,000 | |
building-costs | 47.6 million US dollars | |
start of building | February 1967 | |
opening | 3rd August 1969 | |
planner | Robert Mosher | |
toll | no | |
location | ||
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Above sea level | 0 m |
The San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge , also called Coronado Bridge for short , is a prestressed concrete - steel - girder bridge that spans San Diego Bay in the US state of California . With its five lanes it connects the city of San Diego with the city of Coronado and the Naval Air Station North Island . The structure was opened in 1969 and has a total length of 3,407 meters. A section of California State Route 75 runs across the bridge .
construction
The bridge has a total length of 3,407 meters, with the longest span being 573 meters. It has a maximum headroom of almost 61 meters to allow the ships of the United States Navy , which operate from the nearby Naval Base San Diego , to pass through. The two aircraft carriers USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan , however, cannot pass the bridge due to their height and dock at Naval Air Station North Island .
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/USS_Dubuque_%28LPD-8%29_passes_under_the_San_Diego-Coronado_Bridge_on_31_May_2007_%28070531-N-4658L-121%29.jpg/220px-USS_Dubuque_%28LPD-8%29_passes_under_the_San_Diego-Coronado_Bridge_on_31_May_2007_%28070531-N-4658L-121%29.jpg)
Beginning in the small coastal town of Coronado , the bridge describes an 80-degree curve in the direction of the city of San Diego , with the gradient to the highest point being exactly 4.67%. The San Diego-Coronado Bridge was as prestressed concrete - steel - girder bridge built. Until the completion of the Shibanpe Bridge near Chongqing in China in 2008, it remained the world's largest bridge construction of its kind. Robert Mosher was responsible as the architect. The construction costs amounted to 47.6 million US dollars .
The 30 concrete columns are based on 487 concrete pillars, each with a diameter of around 1.3 meters. Some of the supports were driven into the bed of San Diego Bay to a depth of more than 30 meters to ensure the stability of the structure.
The San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge has a total of five lanes, whereby the innermost lane can be opened for one or the other direction depending on the volume of traffic. A section of California State Route 75 runs on the bridge , the eastern end of the bridge joins an intersection with Interstate 5 (San Diego Freeway) southwest of downtown San Diego . The carriageway is intended exclusively for car traffic, there are no pedestrian paths on the surface. The bridge is used by around 68,000 vehicles per day.
history
Construction of the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge began in February 1967. It was opened to traffic on August 3, 1969, in time for the 200th anniversary of the founding of San Diego . The bridge quickly became a landmark in the area due to its distinctive construction. Just one year after its completion, it received the Most Beautiful Bridge Award from the American Institute of Steel Construction . In 1976, the bridge structure was modernized in order to reduce the risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake .
toll
A toll of US $ 0.60 was initially payable to use the bridge . Starting in 1980, the fee was increased to $ 1.20. In 2002 the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge became the last bridge in Southern California to be toll-free. However, the houses where the toll had to be paid are still there. In February 2009, there was a discussion about reintroducing tolls for crossing the bridge in a westerly direction.
Suicides
Often, those at risk of suicide choose the bridge to end their lives by jumping into San Diego Bay, some 61 meters below . This is favored by the low height of the railing, which is only 86 centimeters.
The San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge is the most suicidal bridge in the country , after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the George Washington Memorial Bridge in Seattle . From its opening in August 1969 to January 2008, statistics from the San Diego Harbor Police Department have recorded a total of 233 casualties. The annual number of victims fluctuates between sixteen in 1980 and none in 1985.
In order to reduce the number of suicides, signs with an emergency number were posted on the bridge at regular intervals. Emergency telephones, such as those common on the Golden Gate Bridge , are not available.
In art and media
The San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge is often discussed in the media and has therefore gained a lot of notoriety. It has served as the setting for several film and television productions, the most famous of which are featured in the list.
- Simon & Simon (1981-88), in the television series, the Coronado Bridge was a central part of the opening sequence.
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), in the film, two characters, played by Jack Black and Will Ferrell , have an argument on the bridge.
- Veronica Mars (2004-06), in the television series Coronado Bridge was the place where Lynn Echolls ( Lisa Rinna )committed suicidein the episode Clash of the Tritons . In the episode The Game Is Over, her son Logan ( Jason Dohring ) alsotriesto jump off the bridge, while in the following episode Normal is the slogan a murder is attached to him.
Web links
- San Diego – Coronado Bridge Dates and History
- The Height of Despair - article about suicides on the bridge
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i San Diego-Coronado Bridge. California Department of Transportation , February 26, 1999; accessed October 11, 2009 .
- ↑ Shibanpe Bridge Breaks World Record for Longest Box Girder Bridge System. American Segmental Bridge Institute , accessed March 8, 2013 .
- ↑ Janine Zunige: Panel to discuss return of Coronado bridge toll. www.signonsandiego.com , accessed October 11, 2009 .
- ↑ a b c d Bob Rowland: The Height of Despair. (No longer available online.) San Diego Magazine , formerly the original ; accessed on October 11, 2009 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.