RustierOne
Senior Member
This is part of a photo project featuring Bridges on the Oregon Coast Highway (US 101). My goal is to get different views of these bridges to document not only form and structure, but also the setting and beauty of these engineering marvels from the first half of the 20th century. I'll start a thread for each bridge, and then add photos to each thread in the course of my travels. Others are welcome to add their images at any time. I'll include some information about each bridge, taken from various sources. Any additions or corrections to my descriptions would also be welcome.
My next entry is the Rogue River Bridge, the first of Conde B. McCullough’s six major Oregon coast bridge masterpieces. Completed in 1932 for $593,000, it is named the Isaac Lee Patterson Memorial Bridge after a former Oregon Governor who promoted it's construction. This graceful, 1898-foot (579 meter) bridge employs seven 230-foot (70 m) open spandrel, reinforced concrete deck arches, as well as a number of deck girder sections on each approach. The roadbed is 27 feet (8.2 m) wide, and the structure is 34 feet (10 m) wide overall.
Construction of this bridge utilized the Freyssinet Method of arch ring decentering and concrete prestressing, named after its French inventor, Eugene Freyssinet (1879-1962). This method was developed to compensate for the tendency of reinforced concrete arches to sag and crack after construction due to shrinkage as the concrete cured, as well as from loading and temperature changes. In order to avoid the additional cost of more concrete and reinforcing steel, Freyssinet chose to leave the arch ribs open at their crowns. Here he introduced a system of hydraulic jacks to lengthen the axis of each arch by an amount calculated to compensate for the sag that would otherwise be encountered. Here in the gap produced by the jacks, steel-reinforced concrete was fabricated to key in each arch. Upon removal of the jacks and curing of the concrete, the arches would sag to their designed shape.
The Rogue River Bridge was the first reinforced concrete arch span in America using the Freyssinet Method. Construction required the use of sixteen 250-ton hydraulic jacks from Freyssinet's firm, enough to work with two arch panels at a time. The successful completion of this bridge was instrumental in the development of prestressing of structural concrete bridge members, a common construction practice today.
Like many of McCullough's designs, the bridge has architectural and decorative features including fluted Art-Deco entrance pylons, dentils, ornate bracketing & sidewalk railing, fluted spandrel columns and detailed arched fascia curtain walls. His designs were not only cost-effective and functional, but beautiful as well.
What follows is the only image I have of this bridge at present.
Rogue River Bridge near its south end, viewed looking west toward mouth of the river and the Pacific Ocean
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Best Regards,
Russ
My next entry is the Rogue River Bridge, the first of Conde B. McCullough’s six major Oregon coast bridge masterpieces. Completed in 1932 for $593,000, it is named the Isaac Lee Patterson Memorial Bridge after a former Oregon Governor who promoted it's construction. This graceful, 1898-foot (579 meter) bridge employs seven 230-foot (70 m) open spandrel, reinforced concrete deck arches, as well as a number of deck girder sections on each approach. The roadbed is 27 feet (8.2 m) wide, and the structure is 34 feet (10 m) wide overall.
Construction of this bridge utilized the Freyssinet Method of arch ring decentering and concrete prestressing, named after its French inventor, Eugene Freyssinet (1879-1962). This method was developed to compensate for the tendency of reinforced concrete arches to sag and crack after construction due to shrinkage as the concrete cured, as well as from loading and temperature changes. In order to avoid the additional cost of more concrete and reinforcing steel, Freyssinet chose to leave the arch ribs open at their crowns. Here he introduced a system of hydraulic jacks to lengthen the axis of each arch by an amount calculated to compensate for the sag that would otherwise be encountered. Here in the gap produced by the jacks, steel-reinforced concrete was fabricated to key in each arch. Upon removal of the jacks and curing of the concrete, the arches would sag to their designed shape.
The Rogue River Bridge was the first reinforced concrete arch span in America using the Freyssinet Method. Construction required the use of sixteen 250-ton hydraulic jacks from Freyssinet's firm, enough to work with two arch panels at a time. The successful completion of this bridge was instrumental in the development of prestressing of structural concrete bridge members, a common construction practice today.
Like many of McCullough's designs, the bridge has architectural and decorative features including fluted Art-Deco entrance pylons, dentils, ornate bracketing & sidewalk railing, fluted spandrel columns and detailed arched fascia curtain walls. His designs were not only cost-effective and functional, but beautiful as well.
What follows is the only image I have of this bridge at present.
Rogue River Bridge near its south end, viewed looking west toward mouth of the river and the Pacific Ocean
--
Best Regards,
Russ
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