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The Bixby Bridge
Eighteen miles south of Carmel stands Bixby Bridge, one of the
world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges.One of the oldest
world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges.One of the oldest
being aesthetically pleasing. In order to complete coastal Highway
types of bridges, arch bridges have great natural strength in addition to
One, five canyons needed to be spanned. Further down the coast
another arch bridge crosses Big Creek.
world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges.One of the oldest
world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges.One of the oldest
being aesthetically pleasing. In order to complete coastal Highway
types of bridges, arch bridges have great natural strength in addition to
One, five canyons needed to be spanned. Further down the coast
another arch bridge crosses Big Creek.
Bixby Bridge is important historically because it introduced automobile travel to Big Sur, connecting the remote
coastal towns to each other. Before the bridge was completed in 1932, coastal travelers endured rough wagon
roads over precipitous ridges and valleys. The 30 mile journey from Monterey to the Big Sur River valley could take
three days round trip.
coastal towns to each other. Before the bridge was completed in 1932, coastal travelers endured rough wagon
roads over precipitous ridges and valleys. The 30 mile journey from Monterey to the Big Sur River valley could take
three days round trip.
Building the bridge and Highway 1 were important public works projects which brought relief to California's
unemployed during the Great Depression. The first engineering concern was assessing how the highway would
cross Bixby Canyon. The options were either a coastal bridge or a much smaller inland bridge and a 900 ft tunnel
cutting though the Santa Lucia Mountain Range at the valley's origin. This tunnel would not allow for scenic views,
and would align Highway 1 in a way that would cut directly though the Los Padres National Forest, which local
environmentalists wished to preserve.
The contract was awarded to the low bidder, Ward Engineering Co. of San Francisco, on August 13th, 1931, for
$202,334. Concrete placing began November 27th. The bridge was completed on October 15, 1932, and
ceremoniously dedicated on November 27th. Another five years would pass before the highway was finished.
The amount of material used in the construction was enormous: 300,000 feet of timber were used in the falsework,
4,700 cubic yards of earth and rock had to be excavated, and 45,000 sacks of cement were used. The means of
transporting the materials across the canyon came from platforms and slings suspended from a cable 300 feet
above the creek. Cement was chosen instead of steel due to material and maintenance costs. The cement came
from Davenport, near Santa Cruz, and from San Andreas. The creek below supplied the needed water for the mix.
The falsework, which was the wooden structure built to shape the arch and form the wet concrete, was one of the
outstanding accomplishments of E.C. Panton, the general superintendent of Ward Engineering Co. Credit also went
to C.H. Purcell, California state highway engineer, F.W. Panhorst, acting bridge engineer, and I.O. Jahlstrom,
resident engineer. Two months were spent building the falsework alone. One of the main difficulties was raising
and holding the arch frame, exposed as it was to the high winds. The foundation also had to resist the waves which
at times reached its base. Work was halted for a time until the dangers of winter storms passed. Locals also
wanted it known that M.J. Murphy, Inc. of Carmel was one of the sub-contractors involved in the construction. Large
advertisements were placed in The Herald honoring Murphy's contribution. Its trucks were used to haul the Douglas
fir from the railroad yards in Monterey to the bridge site and the company also supplied sand and gravel for the
concrete from a plant in Big Sur. The road at the time was one-way with hairpin turns, making trips very dangerous
for the drivers of large trucks.
unemployed during the Great Depression. The first engineering concern was assessing how the highway would
cross Bixby Canyon. The options were either a coastal bridge or a much smaller inland bridge and a 900 ft tunnel
cutting though the Santa Lucia Mountain Range at the valley's origin. This tunnel would not allow for scenic views,
and would align Highway 1 in a way that would cut directly though the Los Padres National Forest, which local
environmentalists wished to preserve.
The contract was awarded to the low bidder, Ward Engineering Co. of San Francisco, on August 13th, 1931, for
$202,334. Concrete placing began November 27th. The bridge was completed on October 15, 1932, and
ceremoniously dedicated on November 27th. Another five years would pass before the highway was finished.
The amount of material used in the construction was enormous: 300,000 feet of timber were used in the falsework,
4,700 cubic yards of earth and rock had to be excavated, and 45,000 sacks of cement were used. The means of
transporting the materials across the canyon came from platforms and slings suspended from a cable 300 feet
above the creek. Cement was chosen instead of steel due to material and maintenance costs. The cement came
from Davenport, near Santa Cruz, and from San Andreas. The creek below supplied the needed water for the mix.
The falsework, which was the wooden structure built to shape the arch and form the wet concrete, was one of the
outstanding accomplishments of E.C. Panton, the general superintendent of Ward Engineering Co. Credit also went
to C.H. Purcell, California state highway engineer, F.W. Panhorst, acting bridge engineer, and I.O. Jahlstrom,
resident engineer. Two months were spent building the falsework alone. One of the main difficulties was raising
and holding the arch frame, exposed as it was to the high winds. The foundation also had to resist the waves which
at times reached its base. Work was halted for a time until the dangers of winter storms passed. Locals also
wanted it known that M.J. Murphy, Inc. of Carmel was one of the sub-contractors involved in the construction. Large
advertisements were placed in The Herald honoring Murphy's contribution. Its trucks were used to haul the Douglas
fir from the railroad yards in Monterey to the bridge site and the company also supplied sand and gravel for the
concrete from a plant in Big Sur. The road at the time was one-way with hairpin turns, making trips very dangerous
for the drivers of large trucks.
Bixby Bridge is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge . It's a structural masterpiece. It is 714 feet long, 24
feet wide and has a main span of 320 feet. It is one of the most photographed bridges in the world because of its
location along the California's beautiful Central Coast.The bridge and the highway have become symbolic of the
natural beauty and freedom of the California coast and lifestyle.
feet wide and has a main span of 320 feet. It is one of the most photographed bridges in the world because of its
location along the California's beautiful Central Coast.The bridge and the highway have become symbolic of the
natural beauty and freedom of the California coast and lifestyle.
You can get a feel for what travel down the coast was like before Bixby Bridge and the section of Highway 1 to the
south were constructed by taking The Old Coast Road from Bixby Bridge to Andrew Molera State Park. This winding
dirt road — a single lane wide and quite a rough ride much of the way — is only passable by two wheel drive in dry
weather.
south were constructed by taking The Old Coast Road from Bixby Bridge to Andrew Molera State Park. This winding
dirt road — a single lane wide and quite a rough ride much of the way — is only passable by two wheel drive in dry
weather.
Jack Kerouac captured the beauty of the Bixby Bridge in his book Big Sur, where he speaks of his escape to
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Bixby Canyon, to escape his problems of alcoholism and city life. Upon his night
arrival to the bridge, Kerouac notices 'an awful roar of surf but it isn't coming from the right place, like you'd expect it
to come from 'over there' but it's coming from 'under there' . This quote shows Kerouac's awe of Bixby Bridge and
Big Sur. During his stay, Kerouac has a series of primal visions of the environment, some of which are
characterized by literary critics as 'nightmarish'. But these visions are finally righted in Kerouac's ending of Big Sur,
where he finally states his belief that 'To be afraid of nature is to be afraid of yourself'. And despite his 'nightmarish'
experiences, he finds salvation if only for a brief moment in Bixby Canyon. Unfortunately his salvation was short lived
as he drank himself to death five years later at the age of 47.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Bixby Canyon, to escape his problems of alcoholism and city life. Upon his night
arrival to the bridge, Kerouac notices 'an awful roar of surf but it isn't coming from the right place, like you'd expect it
to come from 'over there' but it's coming from 'under there' . This quote shows Kerouac's awe of Bixby Bridge and
Big Sur. During his stay, Kerouac has a series of primal visions of the environment, some of which are
characterized by literary critics as 'nightmarish'. But these visions are finally righted in Kerouac's ending of Big Sur,
where he finally states his belief that 'To be afraid of nature is to be afraid of yourself'. And despite his 'nightmarish'
experiences, he finds salvation if only for a brief moment in Bixby Canyon. Unfortunately his salvation was short lived
as he drank himself to death five years later at the age of 47.
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| October 2007 marks 75 years that the Bixby Bridge has allowed travelers to easily traverse the Big Sur coastline. |
Today this exquisite structure is commonly called Bixby Bridge, although in the past it had been referred to as: Bixby
Creek Bridge, Bixby's Bridge, Mill Creek Bridge, or Rainbow Bridge.
"Bixby" stems from Mr. Charles Henry Bixby (a cousin of United States President James K. Polk), an early settler in
the area. He came to the Monterey Peninsula in 1868 from New York.
His purchase, improvement, and development of large tracts of land gave him the legacy of being the most
instrumental personage in the opening of the Sur area. Lumber, shakes, shingles, railroad ties, trench posts and
tan bark, processed through a mill, were shipped north from a stretch of land known as Bixby Landing. Later it was a
shipping point of lime for the Monterey Lime Company. The Mill name didn't come, as one might think, from a family
named Mill. It originated from Mr. Bixby's sawmill, built along the creek. This name is sometimes used
interchangeably with Bixby when describing such places as the creek, bridge, and landing.
Creek Bridge, Bixby's Bridge, Mill Creek Bridge, or Rainbow Bridge.
"Bixby" stems from Mr. Charles Henry Bixby (a cousin of United States President James K. Polk), an early settler in
the area. He came to the Monterey Peninsula in 1868 from New York.
His purchase, improvement, and development of large tracts of land gave him the legacy of being the most
instrumental personage in the opening of the Sur area. Lumber, shakes, shingles, railroad ties, trench posts and
tan bark, processed through a mill, were shipped north from a stretch of land known as Bixby Landing. Later it was a
shipping point of lime for the Monterey Lime Company. The Mill name didn't come, as one might think, from a family
named Mill. It originated from Mr. Bixby's sawmill, built along the creek. This name is sometimes used
interchangeably with Bixby when describing such places as the creek, bridge, and landing.
The name Rainbow stems from a nearby resort, Rainbow Lodge, operated by an Army Captain, Howard Sharpe and
his wife, Frida. The Sharpes bought the ranch in the Bixby Creek Canyon in 1919 with the prospect of profiting from
tourist dollars. Using his engineering experience during his off-season time, he built and improved a dirt road from
the lodge up the canyon to Bixby Landing and another road down to the beach at the mouth of Bixby Creek. In 1930
the Sharpes sold part of the Bixby Landing right-of-way to the State of California for its construction of Highway 1 and
the bridge. The area of land stretched from Bixby Landing 700 feet south across the Bixby Creek Canyon.
Big Sur History.
his wife, Frida. The Sharpes bought the ranch in the Bixby Creek Canyon in 1919 with the prospect of profiting from
tourist dollars. Using his engineering experience during his off-season time, he built and improved a dirt road from
the lodge up the canyon to Bixby Landing and another road down to the beach at the mouth of Bixby Creek. In 1930
the Sharpes sold part of the Bixby Landing right-of-way to the State of California for its construction of Highway 1 and
the bridge. The area of land stretched from Bixby Landing 700 feet south across the Bixby Creek Canyon.
Big Sur History.