The Siuslaw River Bridge is a bascule bridge

Bascule bridge

A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....

 that spans the Siuslaw River

Siuslaw River

The Siuslaw River is a river, approximately 110 mi long, along the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States. It drains an area of approximately in the Central Oregon Coast Range southwest of the Willamette Valley and north of the watershed of the Umpqua River.It rises in the mountains...

 on U.S. Route 101 in Florence, Oregon

Florence, Oregon

Florence is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 8,466.-History:The Florence area was originally inhabited by the Siuslaw tribe of Native Americans. Some state that the city was named for state senator A. B...

. It was designed by Conde McCullough

Conde McCullough

Conde Balcom McCullough was a U.S. bridge engineer who is primarily known for designing many of Oregon's coastal bridges on U.S. Route 101. The native of South Dakota worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation from 1919 to 1935 and 1937 until 1946...

, built by the Mercer-Fraser Company of Eureka, California

Eureka, California

Eureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....

, and funded by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (later renamed the Public Works Administration

Public Works Administration

The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...

). It opened in 1936.

The bridge's total length is 1568 feet (477.9 m). When open, the 140 feet (42.7 m) double-leaf bascule provides 110 feet (33.5 m) of horizontal clearance for boat traffic. The bascule section is flanked by two 154 feet (46.9 m) reinforced concrete tied arches, identical to those used in the original Alsea Bay Bridge

Alsea Bay Bridge

The Alsea Bay Bridge is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Alsea Bay on U.S. Route 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...

. Four Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

-style obelisk

Obelisk

An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...

s house mechanical equipment as well as living quarters for the bridge operator. The total cost of the bridge was $527,000.

External links

• Siuslaw River Bridge

Sources

• Elegant Arches, Soaring Spans: C.B. McCullough, Oregon's Master Bridge Builder, Robert W. Hadlow, Oregon State University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-87071-534-8.
• http://www.florenceartists.com/draper_charles/arches_siuslaw_draper.html