Santa Cruz County, California Bridges: Big Basin Highway Bridge across Boulder Creek

March 2014 (37.13197 Degrees, -122.13710 Degrees) Boulder Creek Bridge

The next Boulder Creek Bridge (36 0010) is almost identical to the previously studied bridge. However, the ground is more level under this bridge and consequently the arch supports are directly against the abutment stemwall. This bridge was also built in 1921 with a 55 ft long arch span. The bridge is 77 ft long and 21 ft wide.

This seems like an expensive bridge alternative when they could have just plopped a truss span onto the abutments. Probably concrete arch bridges were the preferred alternative for state highways in the 1920s. The concrete is green with lichen in this wet, heavily vegetated environment. 

State Route 236 is only 18 miles long and it's narrow to avoid the dense stands of ancient redwoods in the lowlands of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Santa Cruz County, California Bridges: Big Basin Highway Bridge across Boulder Creek by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.