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The Times from San Mateo, California • Page 113

Publication:
The Timesi
Location:
San Mateo, California
Issue Date:
Page:
113
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

Burltngame-THE TIMES AND DAILY N1LWS LEADER-San Matco, Calif. i i M. Bridges Tie County to Valleys ,2 Vehicular Structures Span S.F. Bay ACIH wiih its a i a claim to fame, twti bridges stretch across the waters of Son Francisco bay from the shoves of San -Mfiteo county, connecting the Peninsula with California's rich inland. One, the San Mateo Hayward i.s the world's Jongest highway span.

The other, the Dumbarton bridge, is the first bridge to cross the bay. Over these two bridges flow, in one direction, Etreams of mer- chandisc from San Francisco and imports from the world's 'peris, and. in the other, produce from a vast agricultural empire. Important to County Each of these bridges lias made important contributions to San Mateo county by developing the commercial possibilities, of the route into central California. Both of these structures were built while two mighty and more coatly bridges to the north were but' visions.

$76,000,000 span which straddles the bay bet wee San JFrancisco and Oakland and ha a the distinction of being the world's largest bridge project, will not be open until next month. The world's longest suspension bridge across the Golden (late, constructed at a cost of $32,000,000, will be finished in 1938. Dumbarton Bridges The Dumbarton bridge was completed in January, 1927, and the first traffic' passed over the San Mateo Hayward bridge March 2, 1929. The bridges opened a new portal for the Peninsula ami greatly reduced the automobile arm truck running time between San Matco county and the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. They provide a direct, easy route to the Peninsula by way of the Dublin canyon road for businessmen, tourists and travelers from th Pacific nor hwest or Southern California, from across the continent or from Sacramento, Fresno or Bakers field, For Peninsula residents the San Mateo-Hsyward bridge permits quick access to California's famed Mother Lode country, the High Sierras and the Yosemite, General Grant and Sequoia National parks.

Seven Miles Over Wafer seven and one-tenth miles of water, in an unbroken stretch, with five additional miles of approach, this bridge was constructed at cost of $7.500,000. But its length is not its only characteristic, for this is the "bridge the oyster built." Every ounce of the 181,000 barrels of Portland cement which went into this beautiful structure was made from oyster shells dredged from the bottom of the bay at or near the bridge site and converted into its present use by the Portland Cement company at Redwood City, a few mites to the south. took a little more thnn a year to build the bridge but thousands of years ago the billions of oysters bogan their work of extracting the lime and' other necessary tyiaterials from the waters of the San Francisco bay for (his span across its southern a Made of Oyster Shells For thousands of years these Bhraw a rl a I a essential to BTcement, were carried down by the snows from thR High Sierras and the rains in lesser hills to be deposited in layers over an area of 30,000 acres of tide lands adjacent to the deep waters of thu hay. It was not until about ten years ago, incidentally, that the discovery was made that these oyster shells were ideal for the manufacture of cement. Mixed with this cement were 73,000 cubic yards of aand and 100,000 cubic yards of gravel for the huge amount of concrete required for the San Mateo-Hayward bridge.

If has 23,292 lineal feet of approach paving, 311,900 lineal feet of concrete in the 4854 piles, 35,680 lineal feet of concrete viaduct and 6823 cubic feet of concrete. Its construction required 10,350 tons of reinforced steel and 29JO tons of structural steel. San Mateo County and tlie Bay Area Turn the page sideways. Here is a bird's-eye map of San a county showing its relationship to Ihc whole bay We B- San Francisco and (he Golden Gate to the north and the vast extent of San Francisco bay, extending down to San Jose Aero- it are stretched the two San Mateo bridges, the San Mnloo-Hay ward bridge at the city of San Mateo and the Dumbarton brxJi a Mateo and the Dumbarton across the lower end of the bay. To the right are east hay citica and even, in the distance, San Joaqaiti and Sacramento nary work required 1,000,000 cu- tfc yards of dredging and 232,,800 cubic yards of grading.

The bridge highway is 27 feet from curb to curb providing three anes for traffic and iti center is 17 feet above mean low water Five spans, each 300 in length, stretch across the deep water channel. The middle draw span, which is of the straight lift type operated from a central tower, weighs 1100 tons. In closed postition it fives a clearance of 35 feet above mean high water to allow passage of tugs, barges jnd small craft without the neces- sity of being elevated. When raised it ia 135 feet above mean high water. A 50-year franchise was granted the San Francisco Toll Bridge company by the San Hateo county board of aapervioorg July 11, 1927, and in December of that year eon- WM fttarted.

A. W. Deuel, New York engineer now a resident of San Mateo, pervised the entire construction. The Raymond Concrete Pik Caw was awarded the general and Waddell and Ilardeaty the consulting engineers. Since opening 3,073,357 (Continued on Pegt.

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About The Times Archive

Pages Available:
431,749
Years Available:
1925-1977