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Richmond–San Rafael Bridge

Richmond–San Rafael Bridge
Richmond-San Rafeal Bridge.jpg
The Richmond–San Rafael Bridge from its western terminus
Coordinates 37°56′05″N 122°26′02″W / 37.9347°N 122.4338°W / 37.9347; -122.4338Coordinates: 37°56′05″N 122°26′02″W / 37.9347°N 122.4338°W / 37.9347; -122.4338
Carries 4 lanes (2 WB on upper level, 2 EB on lower) of I-580
Crosses San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay
Locale San Rafael, California and Richmond, California
Official name Richmond–San Rafael Bridge or John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge
Other name(s) Richmond Bridge
San Rafael Bridge
Named for John F. McCarthy
Owner Caltrans
Maintained by Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority
ID number 28 0100
Characteristics
Design Double-Decked Dual Cantilever bridge with Pratt Truss Approach
Total length 29,040 ft (5.500 mi; 8.85 km)
Longest span 1,070 feet (330 m) cantilever structure
No. of spans

77 in total, consisting of:
19 girder spans (west)
14 truss spans (west)
3 spans (western cantilever)
9 truss spans (center)
3 spans (eastern cantilever)
12 truss spans (east)

17 girder spans (east)
Piers in water 70
Clearance below 185 feet (56 m) (main channel)
135 feet (41 m) (secondary channel)
History
Designer Norman Raab
Constructed by Gerwick—Kiewit Joint Venture (substructure)
Kiewit—Soda—Judson Pacific-Murphy Joint Venture (superstructure)
Construction start March 1953
Construction cost US$62,000,000 (equivalent to $546,200,000 in 2016)
Opened September 1, 1956; 60 years ago (September 1, 1956)
Statistics
Daily traffic

66,800 (2011)
67,800 (2012)
72,300 (2013)
75,600 (2014)

79,200 (2015)
Toll Cars (westbound only)
$5.00 (cash or FasTrak), $2.50 (carpools during peak hours, FasTrak only)
Richmond–San Rafael Bridge is located in San Francisco Bay Area
Richmond–San Rafael Bridge

77 in total, consisting of:
19 girder spans (west)
14 truss spans (west)
3 spans (western cantilever)
9 truss spans (center)
3 spans (eastern cantilever)
12 truss spans (east)

66,800 (2011)
67,800 (2012)
72,300 (2013)
75,600 (2014)

The Richmond–San Rafael Bridge (also officially named the John F. McCarthy Memorial Bridge) is the northernmost of the east–west crossings of the San Francisco Bay in California, USA. Officially named after California State Senator John F. McCarthy, it bridges Interstate 580 from Richmond on the east to San Rafael on the west. It opened in 1956, replacing ferry service by the Richmond–San Rafael Ferry Company.

Proposals for a bridge were advanced in the 1920s, preceding the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge. In 1927, Roy O. Long of The Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, Incorporated, applied for a franchise to construct and operate a private toll bridge. The proposed 1927 Long bridge would have been a steel suspension bridge, carrying a 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) roadway for a distance of 14,600 feet (4,500 m) at an estimated construction cost of US$12,000,000 (equivalent to $165,400,000 in 2016). The bridge would afford a maximum vertical clearance of 135 feet (41 m) with a 1,200-foot (370 m) main span. Charles Derleth, Jr. was selected as the consulting engineer, after having served in that role for the recently completed Carquinez Bridge. The Long bridge would have spanned San Pablo Bay between Point Orient (in Contra Costa County) to just below McNear's Point (in Marin County), and Long was granted the franchise in February 1928 by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

A competing proposed bridge also came out in 1927, from Charles Van Damme of the Richmond-San Rafael Ferry Company. The 1927 Van Damme bridge would have carried a 27-foot-wide (8.2 m) roadway for a distance of 19,000 feet (5,800 m) at an identical estimated construction cost of US$12,000,000 (equivalent to $165,400,000 in 2016). It would have spanned San Pablo Bay from Castro Point (Contra Costa County) to Point San Quentin (Marin County), approximately the same routing as the eventually completed 1956 bridge. Although the 1927 Long bridge had been granted a franchise in February 1928, Van Damme subsequently petitioned to reopen the case, since the ferry company owned the land at the proposed eastern terminus and therefore should have been favored in the franchise selection process. Also, since the ferry company's franchise rights were not set to expire until the 1950s, Long's 1927 bridge cost would have increased to reimburse losses to ferry revenues. Soon after winning the franchise rights, Long approached Van Damme with an offer to buy the Richmond-San Rafael Ferry Company for US$1,250,000 (equivalent to $17,400,000 in 2016).


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