Tower Bridge

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Contents 1 History 1.1 Need for the bridge 1.2 Design 1.3 Repainting the bridge 2 Symbolic use 3 References

Coordinates: 38° 34' 50" N, 121° 30' 30" WLatitude: 38.580556
Longitude: -121.508333

The Tower Bridge is a vertical lift bridge crossing the Sacramento River, linking West Sacramento, California|West Sacramento in Yolo County, California|Yolo County to the west, with the capital of California, Sacramento, California|Sacramento, in Sacramento County, California|Sacramento County to the east. It was previously a part of U.S. Route 40 (California)|U.S. Route 40 until that highway was truncated east of Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City. The bridge is still maintained by the California Department of Transportation as part of California State Route 275|State Route 275. It connects West Capitol Avenue and Tower Bridge Gateway in West Sacramento with the Capitol Mall in Sacramento.

History

Need for the bridge

In 1911, construction was completed on the M Street Bridge in Sacramento.^[1] In 1933, the city realized that it needed a better crossing over the Sacramento River in case of war, and that the existing bridge was highly inadequate to handle heavy traffic.

On December 22, 1933, the State of California, Sacramento County, and the Sacramento Northern Railway held a conference to plan the new bridge.

Design

It was to be 52 feet (16 m) wide, with four lanes for cars, and one large center lane for trains. The towers are 160 feet (49 m) tall. The bridge style represents a rare use of Streamline Moderne architectural styling in a lift bridge, making it an outstanding expression of the social and architectural climate of the period of construction.

On December 15, 1935, then-governor Frank Merriam dedicated the bridge. The Tower Bridge was the first vertical lift bridge in the California Highway System.

Repainting the bridge

For years, the bridge was painted silver, but people complained about glare off the bridge. In June 1976 it was painted a yellow-ochre color, to be representative of the gold leafed cupola on the nearby California State Capitol.

In 2001, as the old paint job could hardly be distinguished, residents who lived within 35 miles (56 km) of the capital voted on a new color scheme. Their choices were burgundy, green, silver and gold; or all gold. The winning color was all gold, and it was repainted in 2002. However, that did not lessen the bridge's color controversy. Some people complained that the new paint wasn't as gilded as advertised. Others have suggested that copper would have been a far better color choice, especially in the context of nearby buildings. The new coat is expected to last 30 years.

Currently, the bridge is used for pedestrian and vehicle traffic only. In 2007, regional transportation agencies were considering the possibility of adding trolley traffic across the bridge.[1]

Symbolic use

The Tower Bridge has become the de-facto icon of Sacramento. Its silhouette is often integrated into the logos of local private businesses. It is also used prominently by many of the local news organizations.

References

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