California’s Famous Bixby Bridge

Welcome to Big Sur’s version of the Golden Gate, a must-see road trip spot for many and probably the most Instagrammed feature along the Highway 1 coastline. Completed in 1932 for just over $200,000, the concrete span, one of the highest bridges of its kind in the world, soars 260 feet above the bottom of a steep canyon carved by Bixby Creek. The Bixby Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in California due to its aesthetic design, “graceful architecture and magnificent setting”. It is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge. The bridge is 120 miles south of San Francisco. The bridge is approximately 18 miles south of Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. Enjoy the incredible views of Big Sur’s rocky coastline. The iconic cement arch has also been featured on postcards, music videos and an array of TV spots including car commercials and the hit HBO series Big Little Lies. Epic photo ops of the Bixby Bridge and the Big Sur coastline await! Hurricane Point, just south of the bridge, offers clear views to the north, south and west. Because of this wide-open area, it is very windy, hence the name “Hurricane Point”.

History

Over 300,000 board feet of Douglas fir timber, used to build a 250-foot high falsework to support the arch during construction, was transported from the railroad terminal in Monterey over the narrow, oneway road to the bridge site. It was difficult to raise, because it was constantly exposed to high winds. Some of the falsework timbers were 10 by 10 inches. It took two months to construct the falsework alone. When high waves threatened the falsework foundation, construction was halted for a short time until winter storms abated. The bridge was completed on October 15, 1932, although the highway was not finished for another five years. At its completion, the bridge cost $199,861 and, at 360 feet, was the longest concrete arch span on the California State Highway System. The bridge was necessary to complete the two-lane road which opened in 1937 after 18 years of construction. The bridge was retrofitted beginning in 1996 as part of the Caltrans Phase II seismic retrofit program. In their detailed evaluation of the bridge’s seismic vulnerabilities, they were challenged to find a solution that met several difficult issues, including severe load factors, extremely limited physical access, maintaining the appearance of the existing historical structure, and a requirement by the State of

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California that at least one lane of the bridge remain open at all times.

Scenic Beauty

The bridge contributes to the scenic attraction of driving Highway 1. The 72-mile section of the highway from Cambria to Carmel Highlands was the first in the state to be designated as a Scenic Highway in 1965. In 1966 First Lady Lady Bird Johnson led the official scenic road designation ceremony at Bixby Creek Bridge. The bridge was already popular before the introduction of smart phones and social media, and visitors to the Bixby Creek Bridge and other Big Sur attractions have dramatically increased since then. Due to the large number of visitors, congestion and slow traffic between Carmel and the bridge is frequently the norm during popular holiday and vacation periods.

https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org