Carquinez Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carquinez Bridge |
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The Carquinez Bridge in 2008: (from closest to furthest) a 2003 suspension bridge and the 1958 cantilever bridge
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| Coordinates | 38°03′39″N 122°13′33″W / 38.0608°N 122.2257°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes of  I-80, pedestrians and bicycles. |
| Crosses | Carquinez Strait |
| Locale | Crockett and Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| Official name | Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge (suspension bridge only) |
| Other name(s) | Zampa Bridge, Vallejo Bridge |
| Owner | State of California |
| Maintained by | California Department of Transportation and the Bay Area Toll Authority |
| ID number | 28+0352 (2003 span), 23+0015L (1927 span), 23+0015R (1958 span) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge (Eastbound) Suspension bridge (Westbound) |
| Total length | 3,465 feet (1,056 m) or 0.66 miles (1.06 km) (suspension bridge), 3,300 feet (1,000 m) (cantilever bridge) |
| Width | 84 feet (26 m) (suspension deck), 52 feet (16 m) (cantilever deck) |
| Height | 410 feet (120 m) (suspension tower) |
| Longest span | 2,390 feet (730 m) (suspension span) |
| Clearance below | 148 feet (45 m) (suspension bridge), 140 feet (43 m) (cantilever bridge) |
| History | |
| Opened | May 21, 1927 (original span) November 25, 1958 (eastbound) November 11, 2003 (westbound) |
| Closed | September 4, 2007 (original span) |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | Cars (eastbound only) $6.00 (cash or FasTrak), $3.00 (carpools during peak hours, FasTrak only) |
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The Carquinez Bridge is actually a set of two bridges that cross the Carquinez Strait in California. This strait is at the top end of San Francisco Bay. These bridges are a key part of Interstate 80. They connect the towns of Crockett and Vallejo.
The first bridge, built in 1927, was a cantilever bridge. It was a direct route between San Francisco and Sacramento. As traffic grew, a second cantilever bridge was added in 1958.
Later, engineers found that the 1927 bridge wasn't safe in an earthquake. So, a new suspension bridge was built to replace it. This new bridge opened in 2003. It's officially called the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge. It honors Al Zampa, an ironworker who helped build many bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge carries traffic heading west. The 1958 cantilever bridge carries traffic heading east.
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Building the Carquinez Bridges
People have been crossing the Carquinez Strait for a long time. In the mid-1800s, ferries carried people and goods across the water. Car ferries started in 1913. Before the bridges, ferries were the only way to get across this busy waterway.
The First Bridge (1927–2007)
The first Carquinez Bridge was a steel cantilever bridge. It was designed by Robinson & Steinman. It opened on May 21, 1927. Building it cost $8 million. This bridge was a huge step forward for its time. It was the first major bridge across the San Francisco Bay.
This bridge became part of the Lincoln Highway. This was a very important road that crossed the entire United States. Before the bridge, drivers had to take a much longer route around the Delta. This route went through Stockton and over a mountain pass. Building a bridge across the Carquinez Strait was thought to be too hard and expensive.
But once the bridge was built, driving from Sacramento to the East Bay became much faster. It meant cars no longer needed to use ferries. The Lincoln Highway was then changed to go over the Carquinez Bridge. This route later became U.S. Route 40 and then Interstate 80.
After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, engineers realized the 1927 bridge was not safe in a big earthquake. It couldn't be fixed. So, they decided to build a new suspension bridge to replace it. The old 1927 bridge was taken apart in 2007. A large bronze bell from one of its piers was saved. It will be shown in a new museum in Oakland.
The Second Bridge (1958)
A second bridge was built next to the 1927 bridge. It cost $38 million and opened in November 1958. This new bridge helped handle the growing amount of traffic. For a few months, it carried all the traffic. Then, the older 1927 bridge carried westbound traffic. The new 1958 bridge carried eastbound traffic.
The Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge (2003)
A brand new suspension bridge was built west of the other two bridges. It cost $240 million. This bridge was built by a team of companies.
This new bridge is named the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge. It honors Alfred Zampa, an ironworker. He helped build many famous bridges in the Bay Area, including the Golden Gate Bridge. He also worked on the original 1927 Carquinez Bridge.
The bridge was officially opened on November 11, 2003. It has a long main span of 2,390 feet (730 m). The bridge also has a path for people to walk and bike. This path is part of a bigger plan to create a bike trail around the entire Bay Area.
Building this bridge was a huge project. Materials came from all over the world. For example, steel parts came from Japan. The main cable wire came from England. This shows how many different countries worked together on this amazing structure.
Bridge Tolls
You only pay a toll when you drive eastbound on the Carquinez Bridge. This means you pay when you're heading towards Vallejo. Even though the Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge is newer, there's no toll in that direction. This continues the old practice from when the 1927 bridge was there.
Currently, the toll for a regular car is $6. You can pay with cash or use a special electronic device called FasTrak. If you are carpooling with two or more people during busy hours, you might pay a lower toll of $3 using FasTrak. Larger vehicles pay more depending on how many axles they have.
How Tolls Have Changed
The original 1927 bridge had a toll. But the state bought the bridge in 1940 and soon removed the tolls. In 1926, it cost $0.60 per car plus $0.10 per passenger. This price went down over time. By 1945, there were no tolls at all.
Tolls were brought back in 1958 when the second bridge opened. It cost $0.25 then. Over the years, the toll slowly increased. In 1988, it went up to $1. More money was needed to make the bridges safe from earthquakes. So, extra fees were added to the toll. This raised the toll to $3 by 2004.
By July 2010, the toll for cars on the Carquinez Bridge was $5. In 2018, voters approved another plan to raise tolls. The toll for cars on the Carquinez Bridge will increase to $6 in 2019, $7 in 2022, and $8 in 2025.
In 2019, it was decided that toll takers would be removed. All seven state-owned bridges, including the Carquinez Bridge, became cashless. This means you pay electronically, often with FasTrak. This change helps traffic move more smoothly.
Carquinez Bridge in the Media
- The 1927 Carquinez Bridge was featured on the TV show MythBusters. They used a special machine to shake the bridge. This was to test an old idea about creating earthquakes with vibrations.
- A TV show called Break It Down: "Bridge" showed how the 1927 bridge was taken apart. It aired on National Geographic Channel in 2007.
- Several books have been written about the Carquinez Bridges. These include Spanning the Carquinez Strait: The Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge and Al Zampa and the Bay Area Bridges.
- The bridge also appeared in the 2017 Netflix TV series 13 Reasons Why.
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