Coronado Bridge (USA) – description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
The San Diego-Coronado Bridge, which crosses the San Diego Bay, looks great from the Point Loma Peninsula (Cabrillo National Monument) and pretty much “makes” a view of the bay. It was decided to build the bridge in 1926, but the leadership of the US Navy did not support the idea, fearing that the bridge could be destroyed by an earthquake or enemies, and then all ships at the San Diego naval base would be locked. The city council managed to come to an agreement with the military only in 1964, and then on condition that the bridge would leave at least 61 m of “ground clearance” so that ships could pass under it. In order to fulfill this condition and at the same time not make the ascent and descent from the bridge completely dizzying, it was necessary to lay a large loop at the entrance to Coronado.
And yet the military were not too happy: after all, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would not be able to pass without loading under the bridge.
Urban legend says that in order to appease the Navy, the central span of the bridge was made floating. That is, in the event of a collapse, it can simply be towed along the waves.
On the pillars of the eastern part of the bridge, you can see the huge murals that are part of Chicano Park, the largest collection of Chicano art murals in the world.
The construction of the bridge began in 1967. It took 20 thousand tons of steel to create the structure, which was buried 100 m into the bottom of the bay. The bridge was opened to traffic in 1969. Its total length was 3407 m, and the roadway rested on 27 concrete pillars, which at that time became the tallest in the world. Traffic on the bridge is carried out in both directions in two lanes (in the middle there is a third, spare).
Since 2008, cyclists have had the opportunity to ride the bridge once a year during the Bike the Bay event.
On the pillars of the eastern part of the bridge, you can see the huge murals that are part of Chicano Park, the largest collection of Chicano art murals in the world. The creation of the murals was a response to the surge of public discontent in 1970, when the townspeople complained about the troubles that the bridge was causing to residents of nearby areas.
The Coronado Bridge is the third most suicidal bridge in the United States after the Golden Gate in San Francisco and Aurora in Seattle. 1972 to 2000 more than 200 suicides have jumped from it.
In 2008, a competition was announced to design the lighting for the bridge. Funds for the implementation of the project (75 thousand USD, but the city authorities assured the public that not a single dollar of taxpayers will be spent – only grants and donations) were allocated only in 2012. It is expected that the bridge will shine with new lights no earlier than 2019. but even today in the dark it looks very impressive.
Practical information
The San Diego-Coronado Bridge connects one of the locations mentioned in the official name with another. Route 74 runs along it.
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