The Lower Blackburn Grade Bridge, also named the Van Duzen River Bridge or Mile 18 Bridge, is a 258-foot-long (79 m) reinforced concrete through arch with a main span approximately 150 feet (46 m) over the Van Duzen River about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Bridgeville, California, United States. It was active from its construction in 1925 to 1985 when replaced.
Lower Blackburn Grade Bridge | |
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| Location | California State Route 36 outside Bridgeville, California |
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| Coordinates | 40°28′50″N 123°53′22″W / 40.48056°N 123.88944°W |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | John B. Leonard |
| Architectural style | Through arch bridge |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000148[1] |
| Added to NRHP | 25 June 1981 |
The bridge has inset panels along the ornate concrete through arch and an architectural rail and is the only reinforced concrete through arch built along the Van Duzen River Highway.[2] It was one of five bridges on the Fortuna to Red Bluff route on California State Route 36 designed by architect John B. Leonard in the years 1923 to 1925.[2] The bridge was built by Humboldt County in 1925 to replace the steep grades and dangerous curves of the Blackburn Grade and a covered bridge at Bridgeville.[2] The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 25 June 1981.[1]
The bridge was bypassed and abandoned for vehicle traffic in 1985 when a reinforced concrete box girder bridge replaced the older bridge.[2] The new bridge is named after Italian immigrant Silvio "Botchie" Santi.[3]
In popular culture
editIn the 1995 film Outbreak, filmed mostly in nearby Ferndale, a helicopter chase on the Van Duzen River includes the helicopters flying under the Lower Blackburn Grade Bridge, skimming on the top of the river.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d Snyder, John W. (21 January 1981). "Van Duzen River Bridge, Nomination Form" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory. National Park Service. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ^ 2011 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California (PDF). CALTRANS. January 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2013.